His Sins
by Ryuu no Kami
Summary: He never said he was perfect.
1. Wrath

**A/N:** Look at me go!

The creativity well has opened and I cannot stop. I wanted to write a multi-chapter oneshot collection so my motivation could die, but the story wouldn't. But I decided to challenge myself and write something different. So, here it is!

A slight warning, if the T-rating had a scale, this would rank the highest. Just in case you're expecting something more mild. It shows slightly here, but come future chapters, that will change.

Enjoy!

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Persona 5. If I did, Ren would have stayed with Papa Sojiro and not made him cry T-T

* * *

 **His Sins**

 _Wrath_

Ren could summarize his feelings for school into one word:

Hate.

He hated being the talk of the school. He hated that all the rumors were false, most of them completely insane. He hated how the teachers even called him out for not knowing the answers to their questions, and hated the quiet laughter from his peers. He hated how he was told to stay away from the only friend he made, because said friend was a terrible person. What he hated the most was that _he_ was the criminal, and not that damn Olympic bad ass teacher who beat the shit out of his players.

But while he hated many aspects of his new life in Tokyo, there were a few good things. He got to eat amazing curry for breakfast every morning. He made a friend. He felt like he could make a difference when he learned about the Metaverse from Morgana. And best of all:

He met his dream girl.

He met her about a week into school. He wanted to study, as he was behind in most of his classwork due to his transfer. He found his way to the library, where he thought he could sit in silence and get some work done. The rumors had started almost immediately when he walked in, but thankfully, there were only a handful of students. He could have ignored them easily enough, he thought. He sat down at the closest table, his back to the room so he would not get distracted with their conversations. He pulled out a book from his bag just as he heard one student in the background.

"Who does he think he is, sitting at the president's table?"

He tried to ignore it, but he couldn't help but be curious. Had he taken someone else's seat? Should he move somewhere else? The last thing he wanted was for someone to hate him for something as simple as studying at a table he was unaware was claimed property. With or without said person present to claim it.

Ren heard the door open and close and he could have sworn the room behind him disappeared. It was so quiet that he actually had to look around to make sure he was still in the library. The students around him looked at him with intrigue. Like he was about to come face to face with a pissed off person who was going to pummel him into the ground when he turned back around.

Not like he had ever experienced that…

When he looked toward the person who entered the room, all he could think was _Oh, she's super cute. I hope she sits with me!_ However, one of the male students who sat at the table behind him jumped to his feet. It scared the hell out of Ren.

"Hey, Nijima-senpai, that criminal is sitting in your seat!"

Ren fought hard not to sink into his chair. He slowly covered his face with his left hand, his glasses digging into the bridge of his nose. He attempted to return to his work and _not_ to feel at all ashamed for being called a criminal in front of a pretty girl. It felt very tense in that moment of silence, and he was pretty sure any chance he had at talking to this girl had gone out the window.

"Please, keep your voice down and return to your studying." Her voice was calm, but her tone was very sharp. It cut the tension in the air like a knife, and the boy replied with a shaky "yes ma'am" before he sat back down.

Ren would have noticed that he was no longer the talk of the library, but he was much too drawn into the girl that stood before him. She took the seat across from him and placed her bag on an adjacent chair. She did not seem fazed at all that she sat across from the notorious criminal. Nor did she seem upset that he had taken her spot.

He braved speaking to her. "Would you like me to go somewhere else?"

When her gaze met his, he noticed that her eyes were so dark, they were almost red. He tried to _not_ be intimidated.

"It's quite alright."

He wanted to say something else to her, but between the look in her eyes and her _looks_ , his voice died in his throat. So, he decided to try and catch up on his schoolwork.

He failed miserably.

-0-

A few weeks after he met Makoto, he returned to the library to find her already there. Being bold, he pulled out the same chair he sat at the last time they had shared a table. She did not look up from her textbook. He sat down in his seat and slid up to the table. In an effort to gain her attention, he hit his foot against the center support like he slid into it by accident, which caused the table to shake enough to startle her.

"Sorry," he said, because he realized he had nothing else to say without sounding like an idiot. She looked over at him, her eyes sending a small jolt of fear down his spine. He made a mental note not to do that again.

She went right back to her notes and books. He wondered if she was scared of him, like the other ninety-nine percent of the school was. But as he watched her, she did not seem to show any signs of nervousness. In fact, she appeared to be very dedicated. And smart, he assumed from the pile of books she had on the table. And cute.

And very aware he was staring at her. "Did you need something?"

His eyes widened briefly and he hoped that she did not see his blush. "Oh, no. I'm sorry."

"Then why do you keep looking at me?"

 _Shit._ If his record wasn't enough of a reason for her to distance herself from him, well, she might have one now. He was probably coming off like a creep. He couldn't just come out and tell her that she was cute, but he knew he had to say something to her. She didn't appear to be the type of person who would let something slide.

"I was just impressed with how dedicated you seem to be sitting across from a criminal."

She looked at him in confusion, and Ren thought that maybe she didn't know who he was. He was under the impression the entire school knew about him. How was it possible that this adorable girl did not? He couldn't have gotten _that_ lucky. But on the off chance that she really didn't know, he had just told her. And now she would be afraid of him. And now he wouldn't be able to talk to her again.

But she simply flipped a page in her notebook, unimpressed with his comment. "Criminal or not Amamiya-kun, if you keep bothering me, I'm going to ask you to leave."

He had to fight back the bubble of laughter that threatened to escape his lips.

-0-

When he saw her at the library the next day, he was not feeling the same way. In fact, he was pissed. Not at her, but at everything. He was so angry that he stormed into the room, planning to use studying at the library for a different motive. While he wanted to prove he was a normal student, who studied hard and enjoyed learning, he could do that anywhere. The student body wouldn't see him anywhere else unless they all showed up for Leblanc's busiest dinner rush ever. He wanted to shove it in all of their faces when exams came around and he surpassed them all. Hence why he chose the library.

Meeting her just gave him the motivation he needed to keep going.

He dropped his bag on the table that had naturally become his spot. He fell into his chair and grabbed his materials from his bag. He had been loud, and angry, and it caused the entire library to fall silent. _Good. Let them be afraid_.

"Would you please consider those around you if you are going to use the library?"

He bit his tongue, because he almost said something that would likely have gotten him in trouble. He muttered an apology under his breath, which angered him even more because why the hell was he sorry? He might have been sorry for disturbing her, but not anyone else.

It was quiet, thankfully, while he caught up on his homework. He paused to stretch his hand from time to time, realizing that he had been gripping it tightly while he wrote. At one point, he snapped his pencil in half. He was tempted to throw the fragments across the room, because teachers could throw _chalk at him_ and get away with it!

"You seem troubled."

He once again bit his tongue. She reached into her pencil case (he found the thing _adorable_ ) and offered him another pencil. He did not take it.

"I'm done for today. Thank you." He threw his papers and books into his bag and stood up, his chair loudly scraping against the floor. He was halfway out the door when he felt a light tug on his wrist. He was expecting to be reprimanded for his less than graceful exit, but instead her voice was quiet and laced with concern.

"I will make myself available if you need to talk about something."

It was a very tempting offer. Not only could he get all his pent-up anger off his chest, he could have a conversation with a girl he may or may not have a crush on. But he was far too angry to take that challenge with any success at the moment. Maybe some other time.

"I'm okay."

But he was learning that she was a very persistent person. "The student council room is right here if you want to talk."

He took a deep breath and figured what the hell. Why not just ruin the non-existent chance to maybe take this girl out in the future? Why not just ruin any last remaining good qualities she might see in him? Why not just make his day more miserable than it already was?

She guided him into the room next to the library where she gestured for him to sit down. He took his seat and watched her do the same. He tried to cover up any anxiety with a smile.

"This is a nice room," he said to break the tension that was crushing his soul. It helped him to breathe better, but his anger was still fighting to come out. He couldn't yell in front of her. A perfect gentleman did not yell at ladies, no matter how angry they were. Besides, how wonderful would it be if someone overheard him yelling at a girl? Like he needed more rumors going around about him.

"I know your transition from a small town to a large city must have been difficult." He almost laughed at that. Because _that_ was why he was sitting across from her. She continued, almost as if she had read his mind. "And I know that our peers have not been the kindest to you."

He remained silent, his smile fading for a second before he forced it back. "I wasn't popular at my last school either. It doesn't bother me," he lied, his hands balling into fists on his knees.

"Well, as student council president, I cannot let this go."

Before he even knew what he was doing, Ren stood up and walked out of the room, slamming the door behind him.

-0-

He avoided the library for the next few weeks like the plague. Hell, he tried to avoid Makoto like she _was_ the plague. Sadly, she seemed to have other plans. He caught her following him around Shibuya almost every day after school. He had to assume she was looking for information on the Phantom Thieves, but she was doing a _terrible_ job playing spy. Either that, or she had fallen in love with him and was simply waiting for the right time to tell him.

He assumed the former.

After a few days of ignoring her, however, he started to grow irritated. He accidently ran into her at the bookstore on Central Street one day after a short shift at the convenience store. He found it humorous. He always imagined his "dream girl" having the same fascination for books that he had.

"Interesting to see you here, Nijima-senpai." She jumped and turned quickly to face him. "How odd to run into you outside of school."

She gave him a look that would have once scared the hell out of him. "And why would you be here?"

He felt something stir inside him, not in a good way. "Oh, I like to find good books I can read while following the love of my life around Tokyo. You?"

Her eyes widened, but she quickly regained her composure. "I see." She looked away as if she was embarrassed. He wanted to laugh. "Well, if you'll excuse me, Amamiya-kun, I need to return home."

He stood in front of her. "Hm, you sure? You don't need to see me go to the arcade, then eat dinner at Big Bang? Because who knows, maybe I'll do something remarkable. Like finish that Big Bang challenge. I hear that's a _criminal offense_."

While his voice remained steady and calm, he was all but steady and calm on the inside. She stared back at him, confused and maybe even slightly afraid.

Good.

He kept going. "Because I mean, studying hard and trying to be a respectable student only gets you placed under a _fucking microscope_ , but a teacher can beat the shit out of his team and sexually assault every girl at school and be _worshipped like a god!_ "

He paused to calm himself. In his rant, he had forced Makoto back against a bookshelf and trapped her with his arms on each side of her head. He punched the shelf once, which caused her to jump. It was nice to see her afraid of him.

He may have been slightly afraid of himself.

"And yet, they insult me further by sending the worst person for the job to keep tabs on me." This time, he did laugh. "I mean, I would have thought with how diligent you are in your studies that you would have at least studied how to stalk someone _without getting caught!_ "

She broke his gaze and looked down at the floor, her mouth opening once to say something before she wisely closed it. He saw how white her knuckles were from gripping the book she held against her chest. He had said enough. He probably scared the hell out of her; she sure looked terrified. Well, if the school wanted to paint him as a monster, then he would be one. Maybe then they would leave him alone.

"Now," he said after backing away from her. "I don't want to see you following me around again."

"I-," her voice cracked, and he felt a pang of regret. "I wanted to help you, or at least offer myself as someone you could talk to."

"No, Makoto." He used her first name in defiance. "You never cared about _me_. You were just doing your _job_."

* * *

My original intention for this story was to do sequential oneshot based stories in which Ren gets jealous of the lack of attention from Makoto. But after writing a few, it got harder. So without changing any actual content, I changed the theme. And it has been working better. I think.

Regardless, I am a very angry individual, so I think maybe my anger came out too strong and made Ren too angry. But you push a quiet person for so long, they are going to snap. So I feel justified.

The next chapter is undergoing some work and proof-reading, but I hope to have it out soon.

His next sin: Pride. Because who really thinks he is beneath someone like Tsukasa?

Until then, the dragon rests.

龍の神様

Thank you for reading!


	2. Pride

**A/N:** I might have had to stretch this one a bit. I had it written before I changed the theme, but I tried to add in some extra stuff to make it work. I also merged this with another idea I had for a separate oneshot. I've read it so many times for changes and errors that I think I'm just going to keep making them if I don't post it. So here it is.

Enjoy!

 **Disclaimer:** I don't own Persona 5. If I did, Ryuji would drop the 'f' bomb at least once.

* * *

 **His Sins**

 _Pride_

Ren never felt more awkward in his life. He was doing some last-minute shopping to find something, _anything_ really, to make him appear as a more "charming" boyfriend. The storekeeper had told him three times now that the necklace he picked out would do wonders. Every time, he looked at her, smiled, checked his phone, and put it back.

He assumed that when Makoto had told him to pretend to be her boyfriend for this double date with her friend that she would show up early. Because she was always early to everything else. He told her where he would be an hour ago, and she agreed to meet him in the underground mall. He hadn't heard from her since. And now the storekeeper was anxiously waiting to see if he was slow, picky, or a thief.

"I'm waiting to see if my girlfriend would like this," he finally said to put the woman at ease. He felt strange saying 'girlfriend', but it felt kind of nice, too. He never had a girlfriend before. Hell, he had never been on a _date_ before. And while it may all be a rouse to better understand this shady host guy who was dating Makoto's friend, he was still excited. Maybe if all went well, he could see about asking Makoto out for real.

He heard his phone _ping_ and he put the necklace down for the fourth time. He noticed a text from Makoto saying that she had just stepped off the train. He replied with the specifics of where he was, and she responded that she would meet with him shortly. The shopkeeper glanced at him, and he offered a warm smile in return.

"She will be here soon," he said politely. "She's always late."

She turned her head, unimpressed with his statement, and continued to clean the inventory. Yeah, she definitely thought he was a thief. And now he was going to have to buy it to keep the lady from following him around the rest of the day. Unless he could say something that could prove he was a charismatic teenager with a pretty girlfriend. Pretend, but, she didn't need to know that part.

"I'm sorry I'm late, Ren," Makoto sighed as she entered the store. She smiled at the shopkeeper, who greeted her back politely. She didn't seem to believe Ren when he said his girlfriend was coming.

He walked up to her and held out the necklace he found. "Would this make me cool, or hot?" he asked with a wink. Makoto rolled her eyes, but he at least prompted a giggle out of the shopkeeper. _Success._

"We need to hurry or we are going to be late for dinner." She was already getting straight to business. He smirked, hiding his dejection as he returned the necklace to its resting place for the last time. He wished Makoto would have found his question as cute and funny as the shopkeeper did. He waved to the young lady as he left the store and followed Makoto out of the mall.

He spoke to break the silence. "You don't like men who wear jewelry?"

She turned to him, her usual stoic face showing the tiniest bit of confusion. "I didn't say that."

He grabbed her hand, and smirked when she jumped. "So you _do_ like men who wear jewelry, but you don't like it when men hold your hand?"

He felt her pull her hand out of his. He managed to keep pace with her, even if his heart was heavy with disappointment. "Oh, come on. You can lighten up a little." He made another attempt to grab her hand. "After all, wouldn't it be awkward if a beautiful girl was standing next to her adorable boyfriend and they weren't at least holding hands?"

She stopped in her tracks. "At least?"

His hand tightened around hers. "I was maybe thinking about kissing you in front of them, but I figured this would suit you better," he laughed as he held up their joined hands.

Her eyes went wide for a minute before she looked away from him. "You're very arrogant today."

"Oh, so you would like me to kiss you in front of them?" He almost laughed again, but a part of him wanted to be serious. He may or may not have been holding his breath while he waited for an answer.

He almost passed out. "I-I d-don't think that would, u-um, b-be appropriate."

"I was joking," he managed to say, even though he regretted it the minute it came out of his mouth. But she seemed so uncomfortable and she was fidgeting and he felt bad. They were only pretending to be boyfriend and girlfriend. He may have pushed his boundaries a little too far.

But he couldn't help feeling some satisfaction at the blush that came to her face.

-0-

Ren asked Makoto for help with his school work a few days later. They met at the café in Shibuya, per his request. The library was getting too crowded with finals approaching, so he wanted some space. She sat across from him, occasionally helping him out when he had questions.

Then it happened.

He heard one _ping_ , which caused him to look over at his phone. Nothing. Then he heard it again. And again. And maybe ten more times in quick succession. He glanced up at Makoto, who took her phone and appeared to silence it. She then angrily stuffed it into her bag and returned to her book.

He couldn't help himself. "You're not going to answer them?"

"I don't want to talk to him," she said quickly as she sighed and stretched out her neck.

That piqued his interest. " _Him?_ "

She paused in her writing to look up at him, but she hesitated for far too long before she replied. "It's nothing."

Oh, now he had to know. Was someone bothering her? It couldn't have been Eiko, even though she sent many messages very quickly like that. But, Makoto would usually reply to her. It couldn't have been one of their mutual friends, because she would reply to them, too. And if he found out one of them bothered her like this, he would have many words with said person at their next meeting.

He then remembered that the punk host…he forgot his name, had told her that Eiko was kind enough to give him her number. He had been disgusted that he would _want_ her number (and not his), but he didn't think he would actually text or call her. Wasn't he "madly in love" with her friend?

"Is it your friend's boyfriend?"

He enjoyed guessing games with Makoto because he always knew when he guessed right. He chuckled when her pencil flew off the page when she tensed. Yep. He was right.

"Ho-how did you know?"

"Do I need to tell him to back off?" He smiled. "You're _my_ girlfriend, and I don't share."

She lowered her head to hide her blush behind her bangs. His smile widened as she leaned back in her seat and folded her arms across her chest. "At first, I thought he just wanted to be friends. But he sends me messages I can't even understand." She reached into her bag and turned her phone back on. She groaned when her screen came to life to show multiple unread messages. The blush from his earlier comment was gone and quickly replaced with annoyance.

That angered him.

"He likes to ask about my day, what I'm doing, and then he will keep sending texts and I honestly can't keep up." She stopped and stared at him, eyes wide in fear. "N-not that I want to!"

He would have laughed had he not been so _angry_. "Why don't you tell him to stop? He's harassing you."

Her phone lit up again. Another message. Two. Six. "I have. I told him he should focus more on Eiko, but he seems to ignore me every time." She sighed as she rubbed the sides of her head, defeated. "I tried to tell her, but she's so enamored with him that she thinks it's sweet he cares about me."

He hesitated before asking, "What all does he ask you?"

"Huh?"

"Can I look at the messages?"

She didn't hand over her phone right away, but she eventually passed the device into his hands. In the process, three more messages appeared. He read them, or at least, he tried to.

"Does he speak Japanese?" When she didn't seem to understand where he was going with his question, he continued, "Because this is no language that _I've_ ever heard of."

He held back a smile when she laughed at him. "I can understand some of them. Eiko is just as bad in her texts."

Ren looked back down at the phone and tried to make sense of what this creep was saying. It was mostly gibberish, a lot of it, but if he was translating words correctly, he wasn't just asking questions about her day. He was asking about her personal life, her interests, her future. Almost as if he was _flirting_ with her. Terribly, but still.

In a few of the messages, he might have been asking about him. About their relationship, and how she could do better than him. It sparked a fire in the pit of his stomach. They might not be dating, but he wanted to bet that Makoto would pick him any day over this piece of garbage.

His fingers almost began typing a nasty response, but he handed the phone back to her before he could do so. He leaned back into his seat, trying to stop his hands from balling up into fists beneath the table. He took a deep breath before addressing her.

"You should just block his number."

"I won't."

Curious, he asked, "Why?"

She was silent for a few minutes, as if she was pondering what to say to him. But when she met his gaze, her determination burned like a fire the same color of her eyes.

"Because I'm planning to use this against him."

-0-

Ren had been to Shinjuku a few times, but he usually went with a purpose. He had been there before with Makoto, when they had found Eiko. He went to Crossroads to either work or speak to Oyha. He occasionally helped out Chihaya at her stand, which is what he had done that evening. He kept his head down on his walk back to the station, until his ears picked up on a familiar voice.

"You need to stop."

 _Makoto!_

His heart raced. What the hell was she doing here? She was likely alone, because he was the only one (he thought?) that she would have asked to accompany her to the Red-Light district. Who else would she have come with? Even if she did ask someone else to go with her, _why was she here?!_

"Don't be like that, baby. Let me show you that I'm not the bad guy you think I am."

He did not recognize the other voice immediately, but when he rounded the corner, he saw…that creepy host guy throw his arm over Makoto's shoulders. He leaned into her and said something in her ear and Ren felt himself grow cold. Or hot. He couldn't tell anymore. He was just extremely pissed off.

Ren walked right up to them in four strides, stepping between the host and Makoto. The creep was forced to remove his arm and stared at him like he was a ghost. And in his defense, he _did_ come out of nowhere quickly.

He quickly threw his arm around Makoto's waist, keeping his tone even with the wimpy looking man standing next to him. "Oh hey! It's good to see you again…Eiko's boyfriend. What was your name again? I have a tendency to forget names of unimportant people."

Makoto was rigid against him, but he only held her tighter. "R-Ren? What…where did you come from?"

"Yeah, where did you come from?"

He smiled, trying to remain calm and keep the venom out of his voice. "I was a ninja in my past life."

The host narrowed his eyes at him in an attempt to try and intimidate him. He failed. "I was just about to show her how a real man is supposed to treat his girl."

Ren laughed. "By taking her into a club on a school night? Not my idea of romantic evening, buddy. Or even a fun one!"

"Oh?" The older man stared straight into his eyes, as if issuing a challenge. "No offense, but your girl could do better." He turned his attention to Makoto. "You can stay with this little boy, or you can come see what it's like to be with a _real_ man."

Ren had a retort on the end of his tongue, but Makoto cut him off. "You have Eiko. I thought you loved her?"

The man smiled at her, and it sent a chill down his spine. "I do love my princess. I'm just trying to get to know her best friend." Then he turned his disgusting smile to Ren. "And her best friend deserves better than this little boy."

Once again, he wanted to say something, but he couldn't. He felt a small wave of insecurity wash over him. Sure, he was prideful enough to believe Makoto would chose him over this piece of shit any day, but…only compared to a sleezy host? He was far from perfect, but he tried to be an average individual, as best he could with a criminal record looming over his head anyway. Was that good enough to 'be a man', or was he truly still a child? He had known Makoto long enough to know that if she had a _real_ boyfriend, he would not be a childish one.

He snapped to attention when he felt Makoto pull out of his grasp. She walked up to the host and leaned in, her aura scaring the hell out of Ren. " _My_ best friend deserves so much better. All you want is attention, and you steal it from her every damn day! She might be under your spell, but I am not. So here is what you are going to do. You will stop talking to me, and you will stop talking to Eiko."

Ren and the host were silent, both too afraid to move, lest it provoke the raging girl before them. She took a step back, turned on her heels, and grabbed Ren's arm. She began to pull him away from the scene when the host yelled to her.

"And whatcha gonna do if I don't?"

"You'll regret it."

She did not stop pulling on his arm until they reached the safety of the station. Ren wanted to say something like _Holy shit! You sure put him in his place! That was super hot!_ But another part of him was angry with her. She came to a shady part of town _alone_ to talk to a dangerous man? And then, she proceeded to threaten him? Which, granted, he couldn't blame her, but he was concerned that she had just pissed off the wrong person.

"I'm sorry for dragging you along like that."

"What were you thinking?"

He couldn't help himself. He had been on an emotional roller coaster for the past twenty minutes, and now he wanted answers. He wanted, no, he _needed_ to know why she came out here alone.

"What do you mean?" She seemed surprised, like it was natural for her to visit Shinjuku alone and Ren was stupid for thinking otherwise.

"You came here, _alone?_ " He paused to give her time to respond, but when she didn't, he ran a hand through his hair and groaned. "Why the hell would you come here by yourself?! Do you not know how _dangerous_ that was?! What if he pulled you into that club? Or pulled you down an alley or something?!"

All his frustration, fear, and anger intensified when she glared at him. "I know how to take care of myself, Ren. _That's_ why I didn't ask you to come."

He paused to give himself time to find the right words. He did not want to anger her to the point where she physically attacked him. She might kill him.

"Makoto, I know you can take care of yourself. But it's different here than in the Metaverse. We can read our opponents there and pick up on patterns. We are all looking out for each other. But here? He could have done a _number_ of things. And no one would have been here if you needed help!"

"I know how to defend myself in a _number_ of situations."

 _Breathe, Ren._ He closed his eyes and exhaled slowly. "You could have been hurt."

"But I wasn't," she snapped back. "And for your information, I could have gotten away from him on my own."

His tone changed drastically as the words flew out of his mouth. "Oh, you're welcome, Makoto. Next time I see a shady guy dragging you into a raunchy establishment, I'll just carry on with my business. Because maybe you just like guys who are violent and dangerous and dream of having you _underneath them!_ "

Even with the bustling of the station behind them, all Ren heard was silence. And for some reason, it was painful. This is why he didn't like to get angry. He would often say things he didn't think through. While he might have meant what he said, he could have found a better way to say it.

He lowered his head and let the air out of his lungs. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to-,"

"No, you're right."

He quickly looked up at her. "What?"

She averted his questioning gaze and held her left arm in her other hand. "You're right. I may have gotten too carried away. Sometimes, I just, forget where I am and what I'm doing. I want to help Eiko, but perhaps it was foolish of me to think this was the best way." She lifted her head to meet his eyes once again. "I'm sorry."

He wanted to pull her into a hug and hold her and tell her he was sorry for yelling at her, but he settled for a smile instead. "You can always ask me to come with you."

She dropped her head, but this time, not out of shame. "I-I don't want to bother you."

He stepped up to her, hesitating for a moment, then pulled her into him. "I would rather you bother me than not bother me at all."

She slowly relaxed against him, and a part of his self-doubt from earlier drifted away. "Thank you."

But a 'you're welcome' was not his style. Not with her, anyway. "So, do you think I'm a man, or do you think I'm a little boy?"

He felt her chuckle against him. "Honestly, you're a little of both."

"…Is that a good thing or a bad thing?" he asked, feeling apprehensive.

She pulled away and smiled at him. "I wouldn't want you to be any other way."

Any remaining insecurities he had melted away with her smile.

* * *

I enjoy writing an angry Ren. Because I am an angry person. And he's fun.

Anyway, the next chapter will hopefully be up later this week. I need to try and finish writing my first draft of another chapter first. And the weekend is over and it's back to work. Meh.

His next sin: Envy. He loved the beach, but he _hated_ the boys.

Until then, the dragon rests.

龍の神様

Thanks for reading!


	3. Envy

**A/N:** I have finished writing the story! Now I just need to go through and make final changes and add/delete things. So I will try not to keep anyone who is super stoked waiting for too long.

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Persona 5. If I did, Mishima would have been a Phantom Thief.

* * *

 **His Sins**

 _Envy_

When the group had decided to spend their last few days of summer vacation going to the beach, Ren was unimpressed. He grew up on the coast. He used to go out to the beach every weekend. He did not say anything to damper the excitement of the others, though. And this was to help Futaba. Besides, a day sitting out in the sun doing nothing, looking out at the endless sea? It was calming. He would never _not_ want to go.

The night before their adventure, the girls wanted to take Futaba out and about the city for some beach clothes. Ryuji, who never liked to be outdone when it came to planning something fun, wanted to hang out at Leblanc with the guys, eating snack foods and playing video games.

Futaba decided to be a guy that night, much to Ann and Makoto's displeasure.

Ren sat on his bed, skimming through some articles on his phone when he heard Yusuke's voice. "I wonder if I will be able to capture any beauty at the beach?"

He often ignored a lot of what came out of Yusuke's mouth, but it's what Morgana replied with that sent him spiraling.

"I'm sure there will be a girl or two there for you, Yusuke. It's every guy's dream to see a beautiful girl in a bikini!"

Ren could make out Yusuke talking about something, like how beauty was not always a person…? Morgana was talking about Lady Ann. Ryuji was cursing at his game. Futaba was saying words to Ryuji. But all he _saw_ was 'a beautiful girl in a bikini.'

He liked to think he wasn't one of those teenage boys who gave into their hormones every single time a pretty girl winked at them. But here he was, sitting on his bed, his phone forgotten about in his hand, doing just that and no one had even _winked_ at him! He was just mentally shifting through a wardrobe of bathing suits he would love to see Makoto wear.

He hoped she would be daring, like her personality oftentimes could be. Because he may be slightly disappointed if she didn't one: wear a two piece to show off what he assumed was an amazing body. Or two: not change into a bathing suit at all. She was flustered easily, so he could see her just hiding behind summer clothes the entire day. Not that he would really mind (he would), because she wasn't supposed to be there for him to gawk at her body.

But if she lived up to his imagination, that's all he would do. The girl of his dreams walking around in a bikini, blood red like the color of her beautiful eyes, staring back at him with that adorable blush on her face because he would look good too. Hopefully. He did run with Ryuji. He may have attempted to do a pull up or two on the scaffolding in his room. Maybe he should have pushed himself harder while running, told Morgana that he could do a few more pull-ups before bed…What if he wasn't toned to her liking and she lost interest, or worse, didn't acknowledge him at all? Didn't every girl like muscular looking guys? Would she be an exception?

But how amazing would it be to end the night with their skin touching, lips pressed together, and tongues dancing over the other while the sun set behind them. He would walk her back with his arm over her bare shoulder, or around her waist, and maybe kiss her some more because he had a lot of built up frustrations from being her fake-

"Dude!"

Ren nearly fell out of his bed when Ryuji screamed in his face. The entire room turned to him, minus Futaba, who appeared to be missing. He swallowed the lump in his throat and took deep breaths to calm his rapidly growing pulse. If that was from being scared shitless or from his enticing illusion, he wouldn't tell the group.

"You don't need to yell in my face."

Ryuji did not step back. "Bro, I've been trying to get your attention for like, ten minutes! You gotta play against Futaba now!"

"Thirty-six seconds to be precise."

"Shut up, Yusuke."

He spared another glance around the room. Yusuke had returned to his sketchbook, but Ryuji and Morgana still eyed him with some concern. "You alright, man? You spaced the hell out!"

The embarrassment hit him like a train. For thirty-six seconds, he had been so engrossed in his beach fantasy of Makoto that he had completely forgotten where he was. He thought stuff like that only happened in someone else's exaggerations.

Morgana pounced on his growing blush. "Someone may be a little _too_ excited about going to the beach."

-0-

The next day, after a terrible amount of sleep (he had amazing dreams at least), he wanted to bail. Ryuji and Morgana had grilled him all night about why he had spaced out. They knew it was because of a girl, but thankfully just assumed he would be excited about seeing any girl. Morgana did claw at him once to make sure he wasn't thinking inappropriately about Lady Ann. But he was worried Morgana at least would find out who said girl was by the way he was sure he would be behaving around her.

For the time being, however, he was proud of himself for acting calm when he was on the verge of being sick. The train ride to the beach at least allowed him some time to reign in his desires and plan some outlets in case he failed at any point. His dreams may have excited him a bit too much to be comfortable standing anywhere near Makoto for the moment.

However, if she instigated something, he would be more than happy to oblige.

But when she sat down next to him on the train, he visibly jumped. _Too soon!_

His reaction startled her. "A-Are you okay?"

Oh, god, _no_ , he was not okay. "I just didn't sleep well last night."

"He dreamt about a sexy girl in a bikini last night!"

He elbowed his bag sitting next to him, earning a yelp of pain from Morgana. Not that by doing so he would have confirmed what he said…

"Oh," was all Makoto could say in return. A part of him wanted to tell her _she_ was that girl, but he didn't need the situation to be more awkward than it already was.

So, he settled for what he thought was the second-best response. "Can't blame a guy for getting excited about seeing a sexy girl in a bikini," he said with a wink and a grin.

But when she sat in silence for a moment, he wondered if maybe he should have just kept his mouth shut. And when she stood up and walked away, he knew he should have done just that.

-0-

They managed to find enough room on the beach for their large group. He placed his bag on the end of one of the long chairs, far enough away from where he noticed the girls had set up their spot. He had not said another word to Makoto, and decided that maybe it was all for the best. He didn't want her to think he was that guy who only went to beaches to stare at half-naked girls, but it would at least keep her away from him. He wasn't okay with that; he wanted to be with her, but he knew he would drive himself further into the ground if he was too close to her.

He would prepare better next time. If he had a next time…

They began to plan out their day. Futaba saw a banana boat and surprisingly wanted to ride it. A few "Shut up, Inari"-s were thrown at Yusuke for voicing his surprise in the matter. He felt a jab at his heart when Makoto was the one to suggest the girls go with her, but he ignored it the best he could.

And then came the moment he was dreaming about. The girls made their way towards the public changing rooms, and Ren couldn't help but follow them with his eyes. Thankfully, Ryuji was too preoccupied to notice as he pulled his shirt off and started bragging to Morgana about his toned physique. At which Morgana said something to start a yelling match between the two of them. He rolled his eyes and turned to Yusuke instead, hoping he would be a better distraction.

He was taken back when he saw the boy framing behind where the girls had disappeared to with his fingers. "Um, what are you doing?"

Yusuke only focused harder on his frame. "I must see if the combined beauty of three young maidens will give me the inspiration I need to break out of this artist block."

He wanted to grab his arms and tell him to stop being a creep and saying things like a creep, but Yusuke spoke first. "Are you not doing the same?"

He couldn't stop the surprise from escaping into his tone. "Wh-what?" Since when was Yusuke so observant?!

"A true artist does not always rely on a medium and a tool to capture beauty. He only needs his imagination."

He turned away from Yusuke before he punched the boy in the face. Not that what he said made him angry, but…scared. He clearly had never regarded him as one who focused on anything but art related topics. But what if he did know about where his imagination took him that night? He may not know _who_ that was about, but it was enough for him to wallow in humiliation because _Yusuke_ had been able to pick up on it.

He decided to turn to the waves of water. Because they would never figure him out or leave him hating himself. He wanted to jump in, get stung by a jellyfish, or eaten by whatever sea animal could eat a human being. Hell, he was okay with being swallowed up by the currents and drowning at this point. But how amazing would it be if Makoto rescued him and pulled his body onto the shore and leaned in to breathe into his-

"Bout time. Damn, why does it take girls forever to change?"

While he was glad Ryuji's loud voice pulled him from whatever daydream he was in the middle of, he was not ready to turn around. He just wasn't. So he wasn't going to. Because the water was his friend. And the waves were calling to him!

"Somebody was a little hesitant," he heard Ann say.

"Where is she?"

There was silence, in which Ren had to know what was going on. So he turned his body to face the group, which was missing Futaba. And when his eyes landed on Makoto, he felt the sea reach up around his legs and pull him under.

At least, it would have been a wonderful thing to have happened, because he felt like an idiot staring at her while the conversation continued around him. He saw _a lot_ of skin, and it was extremely difficult not to reach out and try to touch her from his spot a good ten feet away. His eyes roamed from her bare shoulders, to her amazingly toned arms and stomach, her slender legs, and then he just had to soak in the sight again. And maybe once more.

She must have felt his eyes on her because she turned to face him. His eyes met hers for a second, before his shame forced himself to look away.

"Well, now that she's here, let's get some food!"

"I'll come with you," he replied a little too quickly, his voice slightly shaken. Thankfully the group, Futaba now included, paid him no mind. But he needed to leave the scene before Makoto had a chance to ask him what he was doing.

-0-

"Dude, we didn't get any numbers!"

Ren shrugged his shoulders. What kind of guy just goes up to a random girl, says hi, then asks for her number? He would make a bet to anyone that Ryuji would stay single for the rest of his life.

"You should work on your charisma."

Ryuji turned to Yusuke and glared at him. "Yeah, cause bringin' two lobsters is how I'm gonna get girls."

Ren meant to ask Yusuke where and why he picked up two lobsters, but he genuinely seemed happy with them. He was probably just hungry and saving them for dinner. Free lobster? Hell, Ren would sit down to dinner with Yusuke. Maybe having live lobster _was_ a way to get a girl, because what girl doesn't like a man who cooks romantic meals on the beach? Did Makoto like lobster?

"Speaking of girls," Ren intervened before his imagination ran away with him again, "When are they coming back?"

Ryuji looked at him curiously, as if to say _who cares_. "Come on, man. We're at the effin' beach! With hot chicks. You don't even seem interested in gettin' a number!"

He wanted to say something in his defense, but he wisely kept his mouth shut. "We are here on a team outing. Or did you forget why we came here at all?"

Yusuke looked at his lobsters. Ryuji looked at his feet. "Yeah, you're right, man. Sorry."

He felt like he killed the excitement. He opened his mouth to remedy that and said, "It's fine. We can come back another time and work on 'picking up chicks' then."

His friend beamed at him, and he felt the burden around his heart lift off his chest. "Dude, you're the best!"

But then that burden came smashing back into him like a wrecking ball.

"You guys were trying to pick up _girls_ while we were gone?"

Ann's voice came from behind him, but if she heard him, and Futaba was standing in front of Yusuke and his lobsters, then Makoto must have been there, too.

"Inari picked up some lobsters!" Futaba shouted, oblivious to the mounting tension around her.

Ren watched Ryuji narrow his eyes. "Yeah, you got a problem with that?"

He wanted to tell him not to push the matter further, but the damage was already done. That pit he dug for himself just kept getting deeper. Maybe if he kept it up, he would jump through it and find himself on the other side of the world, where he could assume a new identity and start over.

"Oh, screw you guys! Let's go, Makoto."

He didn't want to turn around and see the glare he was sure he would see, but he didn't know if he felt comfortable with an angry Ann running around with Makoto in a sea of guys like him and Ryuji.

"Where are you going?"

Both girls glared at him so hard that even the sun hid behind the horizon. "We met a couple of cool guys. Cooler than you two idiots!" Ann screamed. "We'll be having fun with them. Enjoy your rejection fest!"

While Makoto never said anything, she turned just as quickly as Ann did and walked towards another group on the beach.

"Oh, we'll show you!" Ryuji fired back. "Come on, Ren. Let's go get some _cool_ chicks!"

He became Joker for a minute when he ran past the girls and blocked them from getting too far away. "That's enough. We came here to help Futaba. And yet we are all getting sidetracked. Let's not have this ruin our day. We can find something to do together that doesn't involve-,"

Ann cut him off. "Picking up chicks?"

Ren sighed. "Rejection fest is over. Now come on. Ryuji said something before about playing some volleyball. We can do that."

Both girls were quiet, but their expressions still worried him. He held his breath. Surely they weren't _that_ angry with them…

"On one condition."

He was thrilled to hear Makoto's voice, but scared to death by her tone. "And what is that?"

She looked over at Ann for a second, then pierced his soul with her glare. "Ann and I will play against you two. If we win, we are going over to talk to our new friends."

The challenge sparked something in Ren. He smirked at her. "Deal."

Both girls smiled at him, although darkly, and pushed past him. He subconsciously reached for Makoto's wrist to pull her back. When he noticed that Ann had walked up to Ryuji to inform him of what was happening, he leaned in close enough to notice the droplets of water that clung to her skin.

He fought to keep his voice steady and placed his hands in his pockets to keep from touching her. "And what happens if _we_ win?"

He felt proud for managing to pull a gasp from her, as subtle as it was. She took a deep breath before turning to him. "You won't."

His grin widened and this time, the temptation to touch her was too much. He reached up and brushed a loose strand of wet hair behind her ear. His hand lingered for a second before he slowly retracted his hand, his fingertips grazing her cheek. The growing blush on her face split his grin into a full-blown smile.

"You will take me out to dinner. Wherever you choose. And I'll be the gentleman who pays. Like a date. A _real_ one."

She stood still for the longest time, and his heart almost exploded. He took her silence to mean that she was just shocked, hopefully in the sense that she had wanted a date with him but was too nervous to say anything. At least, that was what he was going to keep telling himself.

But then her face darkened with what appeared to be anger and she turned to walk towards where Ryuji was doing his stretches.

"I won't lose then."

He opened his mouth to reply, but he didn't know what to say. Something defensive would have just dug himself deeper. Something witty may have put him in the hospital. He settled on just silently following her over to the group, shoulders dropping from her rejection.

The energy of the group was on a completely different level than Ren's. Morgana was nominating himself to be Lady Ann's personal cheerleader. Futaba was nominating herself as Yusuke's lobsters' personal bodyguard. Yusuke was nominating himself as anything that did not involve him playing in the match. Had he been in a better mood, Ren would have _loved_ to see Yusuke play against the girls in a volleyball game.

He took his place behind Ryuji, who stood in front of the net with Ann in his face yelling at him. He retracted his previous statement about his friend being single for the rest of his life. The two of them would make a great, very angry couple.

He would never admit that to Morgana, though.

"Ladies first," Ren offered, which killed the argument between Ann and Ryuji. The blonde boy turned to him and signaled for a high-five.

"Give them the first few. Gotta make it a challenge."

On the other side of the net, the two girls stood still while Ren and Ryuji laughed, clapped hands, and took their places. But when Ann picked up the ball and walked to the back of the field, Ren felt like they had just provoked the wrong two girls.

"Don't worry," Ann said sweetly, her smile all but sweet. "This will be quick."

-0-

"Dude, I think she broke my face!"

Ren heard Morgana, Futaba, and Yusuke burst into laughter, but he was not in a laughing mood. They had lost their match for reasons that he liked to believe had nothing to do with the game itself. Ren was the tallest out of the group and he had put a few points on the board because of it. However, when Makoto was in front of him, he seemed very small and was clearly distracted. Especially when she tried to spike the ball over the net. He may have blocked her attempts, but she was always successful when paired up with Ryuji. His eyes were too focused on how her body stretched, twisted, and gleaned with the sunlight than on the ball that would land a few inches in front of him.

He had teased her throughout the match when they were both at the net. Since she wasn't tall enough to get a spike past him, she had stopped trying fairly early in the match. And he found her pouting _very_ cute. But his teasing, unknowingly to him, had built up into determination over the match. And when she moved with speed he didn't know she had, slamming the ball to the right of his outstretched arms and into Ryuji's face, he couldn't help but gape at her.

"Looks like we'll be taking that victory, boys!" Ann had cheered as they gathered their things. "Let's go hang out with our new friends!"

Ren had still been awestruck when Makoto had come up to him and delivered her own personal spike to his heart. "Don't worry. I'm sure there's still plenty of time for you to find that sexy girl in a bikini."

And now he was sitting on the end of his chair, staring out at the sea while the sun began to fall from the sky. He could make out where Ann and Makoto had gone off to, and while there were a few girls in the group, there were far more men. Every now and then, one would have the nerve to talk to Makoto. His hands clenched tightly when he saw one in particular place his arm around her shoulder and wave goodbye to the group. He watched as the two of them made their way up to the small tiki hut for what he hoped was just for some water.

"My face man!"

A lightbulb went off in his mind. "I'll get you some ice."

He stood up as quickly as he had said it and walked to the hut before anyone could question him. The man still had his arm around Makoto while they took a seat, and something about the way he was looking at her made his blood boil.

"Whatever the young lady wants to drink," the man said with a wink that unnerved him. Before the barkeep could turn around, Ren came up to Makoto's other side and placed his elbow on the bar, leaning into his open palm as he smiled at his enemy.

"Oh, hey! This must be your new _friend_."

Makoto jumped in her seat as she turned to him, his smile as charming as he could make it with his teeth clenched in fury. His expression, however, was meant to tell the man to back away from his girl.

"Ren?"

He extended his hand towards the man who looked at him in confusion, and perhaps a hint of fear. "Hi. I'm Ren. Her _boyfriend_."

Both Makoto and the stranger's eyes widened. The man wisely removed his arm from around her, the surprise on his face turning into something more nervous. "Hey, man, I didn't-,"

Makoto was up in an instant. "Would you excuse us for a second?"

Ren flashed one more dangerous smile to the man before she hauled him off to a quiet place around the corner of the bar. The shadow cast by the hut did nothing to cool the raging girl by his side. His smile was gone instantly.

"What was that?" She was pissed.

He held his hands up just in case she decided to punch him. "Hey, I came to get ice for Ryuji's crushed face. I didn't know you were here until I walked up to the bar."

It was partly true, but at the mention of an injured Ryuji, Makoto lowered her gaze. "Is he okay?"

"I'm sure he's fine." He did not lower his hands, afraid of where he would place them if he did. "He just likes to whine."

She shifted in front of him before she spoke again. "I will bring him some ice. I should have done that after I hit him."

She turned to walk back to the stand but he stopped her. "He's going to be fine, Makoto. I think he's just more surprised than anything."

Her glare returned. "Then why _are_ you here?"

He stared at her, wondering if she was putting on an act to lure him into admitting he was lying. He witnessed it once with that host, and now he was terrified to tell her the truth. He remembered how deadly her glare had been that night…

So he kept his lie going. "Because if I didn't make an attempt, he was going to keep crying like a little baby." Her glare never wavered. He swallowed nervously. "Which is why I got up, came over here, and planned on walking back saying they didn't have a bag to put the ice in."

She humored him long enough to think he was in the clear. Then she said, "Well, I would advise you to head back before he comes over here thinking you forgot about him and discovers how good you are at crafting lies."

His jaw hung open while she turned her back to him. _Crafting lies?_

"Wait," he practically pleaded with her before she finally stopped. She did not turn around. "You think I'm good at crafting lies?"

Her voice was quiet when she replied. "You're not my boyfriend."

His heart sank into his stomach. "Well, no, but I-," he hesitated. _I want to be_. "I just didn't think that guy was your type."

She turned to face him. "You don't know my type, Ren."

"Actually, I think I do." He took a deep breath to steady his nerves before continuing. "I think you like the intellectual types who can pass off as the perfect boy to introduce to your parents, but at the same time be shrouded in mystery and occasionally find a thrill in danger." He took a step towards her, his right hand lifting to her face. "Not a tanned, ripped guy with bleached hair who would probably defeat you in a volleyball match."

He heard her breath hitch when his hand reached her cheek, but she surprisingly did not pull away. He took a step closer and his heart raced in his chest when she did not step back. His thumb traced the outlines of her cheekbone, then lowered to the corner of her mouth. He ran his thumb along the edge of her lips as he brought his other hand to her hip. The intensity of her blush and the way her breath came in ragged gasps forced him to grin madly at her.

"Am I wrong?"

His fingers skimmed the bare skin on her waist as he slowly moved his hand up her side and to her shoulder. She tensed when he moved from her shoulder to the back of her neck, his fingers playing with the edges of her hair.

"Ren, I-,"

She paused when he leaned in, his forehead resting on hers. Her eyes searched his, and he prayed that he wasn't making a huge mistake, that he really was her type. Because he would never forgive himself if this was how their friendship ended.

The hand at the back of her neck slowly pulled her closer to him while his hand on her cheek dropped to her lower back. She placed her hands on his chest and he took one last look at her before he smiled and reached in to-

"Dude! Where's my effin' ice at?!"

He immediately pulled away from Makoto. After taking a moment to come to terms with what had happened, he walked past her with a quiet "excuse me". He reached the front of the building and came face-to-face with an angry looking Ryuji. He approached the bar where the beach boy was still sitting, likely waiting for Makoto to return. Irritated and clearly not in the right mindset, he picked up the guy's drink, reached for whatever ice was left in it, and threw it at Ryuji's face.

He could hear Morgana howl in laughter in the background.

* * *

A few things to say about this chapter:

It's my favorite chapter. I had so much fun writing it. It's also one of the longer chapters. I may have taken the volleyball part from the anime episode, because it was hilarious. I also introduce the others here, but I hate Ann. So I may have left her hanging at the end. But I loved writing Yusuke. Didn't think I would, but I did. But I hope they stayed in character, so I apologize if I failed. Writing them wasn't really my intention when I sat down and wrote this story.

I may have pushed boundaries for myself here as well. I prefer writing angry, dark, or dramatic scenes, so I stretched myself with some of the more "romantic" sections. Again, it's not something I do often, so if I fell short, you can hate me.

And if you hated the mild romantic writing here...do not proceed further. I will let you down.

His next sin: Lust. Does one need an explanation?

A huge thank you for all of the support! I hope to keep you guys happy!

Until then, the dragon rests.

龍の神様

Thanks for reading!


	4. Lust

**A/N:** Warning: I stepped out of my comfort zone here. I also upped the rating. While I didn't get _too_ graphic, I scared myself. Plus, now I can lift my filter and not have to worry about my language in the future. FYI: it will start to get darker. Within reason, of course.

While this was a challenge for me to write, I can't say I'm upset by it. It was kind of fun. So enjoy!

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Persona 5. If I did, Arsene would have been playable all game.

* * *

 **His Sins**

 _Lust_

Summer vacation ended almost as quickly as it had started. But Ren was actually happy to regain some semblance of structure in his life. Summer had allowed him much needed time to catch up with his friends individually. But while he enjoyed hanging out with them, he still had a lot of time to himself in which his mind like to wander. And that was never a good thing. He was very grateful that the biggest pitfall of his summer vacation happened at the very end, or he might not have been able to last.

So naturally, he was upset when he was reminded about the upcoming trip to Hawaii. He knew he should have been excited. The opportunity for him to leave the country again would be slim to none. Hawaii was beautiful in pictures, a great escape from the large city that had been his home for almost half a year. But he was nervous about stepping into a foreign country with Ryuji and Mishima, who were very much looking forward to roaming its beaches while "babe hunting". While the trip was not without its rules and enforcers, the island was a huge place, and their group was relatively small. Who knew what the two of them could do under the right conditions.

Truthfully, he was more worried about what _he_ would do. Ryuji and Mishima could get him into the strangest of situations without him knowing what was happening until it was too late. The whole debacle with Kawakami had proven that much. Granted that the object of his affection was not going to be present, it still unsettled him. But he told himself that he would be okay.

Until he learned that Makoto _was_ going along with them.

The night before the trip, he simply stared at the ceiling, too afraid to fall asleep. Morgana had been upset about being left behind, so he opted to stay with Futaba for a few days. Not having his feline roommate with him to distract him caused his mind to think back to the last time he was with Makoto on the beach. He tried to focus more on the anger Ryuji had shown him after throwing ice in his face, or how Morgana had commended him for it. But his mind kept retracing the events until he was right where he didn't want to be. He could still remember how her skin had felt beneath his fingertips, how tender her lips had been…

He pulled himself out of bed and grabbed the chair by the desk. If he wasn't going to sleep, he was going to have to work out his frustration somehow. He stood on the chair, grabbed the plank above him, and kicked the chair out from under him.

It was going to be a long night.

-0-

It was times like this that Ren did not believe in a god. Because what kind of god would be cruel enough to send a girl into his room who was not the girl he _wanted_ in his room? Everyone else was with _their_ girl, by the way Ryuji and Ann had made it seem. Why couldn't he be allowed this one tiny little thing that maybe wasn't so tiny but he wanted anyway?

He kept telling himself that it was for the best. If that girl had been Makoto and not Ann, he wouldn't have been able to do anything anyway. Which would have been much more painful to bear. But that didn't mean he had to like it.

So he got up from where he was laying on the couch, rubbed his hands over his face, and stood up. He carefully maneuvered his way around Ryuji, who slept on the floor, and headed towards the door. He knew he could get in trouble if he got caught for being up past curfew, but he wouldn't leave the hotel grounds. And he was a Thief; he wouldn't get caught unless he wanted to get caught.

He made his way down the hallway of the resort. He didn't really know where he was going, but he just wanted to go somewhere. Clear his head. Allow himself time to be jealous and angry that his peers could sneak off into rooms but he couldn't. Well, he could. He was just afraid to. And didn't know which room was hers. But if being on a crowded beach with Makoto had that much of an impact on him, he would hate to see what became of him after being in a _room alone_ with her.

The minute he stepped outside, he took a deep breath, inhaling the scent of the ocean. He missed this. He missed being able to walk to the beach back home and not have to worry about looking over his shoulder. He wanted to go down to the beach, but he knew he would be pressing his luck in case someone noticed he was missing. He took a seat on the ground next to the building's exterior walls and leaned back against it. He looked up to the sky, hoping to catch a glimpse of a shooting star to wish for better luck, but he could only make out the glow from the resort's lights on the surrounding palm trees.

Really, if there was a god, Ren hated him.

He dozed off; for how long, he was not sure. When his eyes opened again, he realized how much pain he was in. He struggled to stand up, and actually had to roll onto his stomach to push himself off the ground. He cracked his neck, reached into his pocket to grab his phone to check the time, and then realized he didn't have it on him.

He had left it on the nightstand next to the couch.

He walked over to the railing that separated the beach from the hotel, and screamed. It felt good. It was extremely late, so no one was around to hear him. He did it again. And once more just for the hell of it.

"Ren?"

His heart almost jumped out of his throat and he thanked the railing for being as high off the ground as it was. He would have fallen over if it wasn't. He turned to find a tired looking Makoto staring back at him in worry. He felt his blood leave his face and for a moment, he thought he was going to be sick.

"What are you doing out here?" she asked in his silence. He turned around, too embarrassed to face her, and continued the silent treatment. Maybe if he was quiet long enough, she would go away.

"Are you okay?"

But if he knew her as well as he would like to think he did, she wasn't going anywhere. "Yeah, I'm fine."

She was not deceived by his pitiful attempt to evade her questions. "Ryuji told me that you were missing." _Ah, of course. She wouldn't come after me on her own. Not that she really knew, but…_ "You shouldn't be out this late, either."

He took another deep breath before he slowly turned around. "I know. I just had something on my mind, and I needed a few minutes to myself. I didn't mean to worry him." He walked past her and paused when his hand reached the door. "I'll make sure to apologize to him when I get back."

If she was able to pick up on the emphasis of _him_ , she didn't question it. He waited another second to see if she would say anything, then he sighed and pulled the door open.

She did not follow him back inside.

-0-

Ren was _that_ person who was packed and ready to go days before their trip ended. He was having fun, sure, but he was ready to go home. Yusuke was currently there, so he really felt like it was just another get together with his team. Fortunately for him, no one had questioned why he had stepped out of the room last night, and Makoto had not pressed him for more information. She actually wasn't even around much, which he was thankful for, but disappointed about at the same time. Again, he just chalked it up to his horrible luck and how he was doomed to only be loved by her in his dreams.

He was happy to know he would be spending his last days on the beach, simply lounging around and watching the waves break on the sand. He was in the midst of drifting off to sleep when a loud, familiar voice rang in his ears.

"Dude, you need to put this on your face!"

He felt something light hit his stomach, and he looked down to see that Ryuji had dropped a small bottle of sunscreen on him. He looked up at his friend quizzically, but he only laughed at him.

"Seriously man, your face is lookin' a bit burned. You must have some sensitive skin!"

He sat up and regarded him for a second, then he returned to his previous position on his back and closed his eyes. "I'm fine."

He expected Ryuji to shrug his shoulders, say something like _it's on you then, man_ , and walk away. What he did not expect, was for him to scamper off and yell, "Guys, he ain't listenin' to me!"

He opened his eyes enough to see that his friend had walked over to where the rest of their group had been sitting. They continued to talk amongst each other, but after a moment, his eyes drifted closed once more. He did not open them even when he heard footsteps approach him.

"Ryuji, I told you, I'm-,"

He immediately shot up when he felt something cold on his nose. "Too bad I'm not Ryuji."

His face was mere inches away from Makoto's, and he had to prop himself up with his arms to keep him from falling back down into his chair. He was thankful for the sunburn now.

He smiled at her to hide any discomfort that may have shown on his face. "I see that." He looked back into her eyes, then back to the bottle in her hand. "I really don't need that."

"You could get sun poisoning if you don't. The sun is much stronger here than it is back in Japan." She squeezed the bottle onto her finger and reached for his face again. "So please, sit still."

He wanted to push her away, to run and hide, to promise her he would sit inside for the remainder of the trip. But when her fingers brushed against his face, all those thoughts vanished from his mind. He tried to look anywhere else but her eyes, but his gaze kept coming back to them. He wanted to see if he could find any kind of emotion that would tell him she wasn't doing this just for his benefit, but his mind was far too preoccupied with enjoying the sensation of her touching him.

When she was done, she closed the cap on the sunscreen and stood up. "There. Hopefully, it won't get worse."

He didn't know if she was referring to his sunburn or his feelings. "Oh? You're done?"

"Yes," she replied. "Please keep out of the sun for longer than-,"

"You're not going to finish?"

He smirked when a light blush spread across her face. "W-what?"

He sat up in his chair. "I mean, all you did was my face. If you want me to be burn-free, shouldn't you do the rest of my body?"

He was pretty sure her face was as dark as his was with the sunburn. It excited him that he could fluster her so easily. And he couldn't stop teasing her now. He rolled over onto his stomach and turned his head so he could see her.

"Whenever you're ready. Just try not to be too rough on me," he smiled and added a wink, which caused her to jump slightly in her spot. She gave no hint about whether she would give in to his request, or if she would bolt. He held his breath longer than he thought he would have to before she sighed and placed her bag down on the sand by his chair.

"I guess you're right."

A part of him was worried she was going to hand him the bottle of sunscreen and make him do it himself. So he was extremely pleased when she took it upon herself to see that he was protected from the sun.

But when he felt her hands on his shoulders, he immediately regretted it. He wanted to enjoy the moment, the way her hands moved up and down his back, burning every nerve ending she came in contact with. He wanted to enjoy the tingling sensation that numbed his skin, the spark of electricity that he felt in his bones when her nails gently scraped against him. And he was enjoying it, too much, to the point where it wasn't enough. He wanted to feel her nails digging into his back from underneath him while said his name over and over and-

Nope.

He wasn't going there.

He quickly pushed himself up, startling Makoto in the process, and walked off before she had a chance to ask him what was wrong.

-0-

The sun woke Ren up the following morning. He slept surprisingly well, likely due to the fact that Mishima had kept his mind on Thief related issues all night. He had wanted a vacation from it, but after the day he had yesterday, he welcomed the subject.

Then he looked at the clock on the nightstand and realized it was much later than he expected. He chuckled to himself; he was on vacation, he could do whatever he wanted. And a night without dreams where he would wake up in a cold sweat or in desperate need of a cold shower was a nice change of pace. He also noticed he was alone. Mishima was likely out with Ryuji on their last full day to catch any girls at the beach.

He decided he would return to the beach and see how they fared. It might even be entertaining. He changed into his beach gear, grabbed a towel, and headed for the door. All he asked was for the day to be pleasant and drama free.

A pity god was out to get him, for before he was even able to step out of the room, a knock came to his door. He assumed it was Mishima; the kid loved to forget his key, so he opened it with a smile.

"You really need to learn to-,"

He wished it was Mishima. Or Ryuji. Hell, he would have taken the police at this point. His eyes widened as the student council president stood before him, seemingly unhappy.

"You were not present at roll call this morning."

He didn't respond to what she said. "Y-you know where my room is?"

"Of course," she replied. "Don't forget that I'm here to chaperone. It's part of my job."

Right. Because why else would she be looking for him? "Right," he said, dejected. "Well, sorry. I was asleep and I guess Mishima didn't bother to wake me up."

Her eyes narrowed further and he mentally prepared himself for a miserable day. "He said you were out like a light. He couldn't wake you up."

Oh. He took a deep breath and quickly released it. He must have been more tired than he thought. "It felt nice being able to sleep in. That's what people do on vacation, right?"

She sighed. "Just make sure you don't do this tomorrow."

"Oh, I'm ready to go home."

 _Shit._ Did he really just voice his thoughts? He paused, thinking maybe she didn't hear him, or that maybe he didn't say it out loud. But her expression told him that he did. And now she was going to question him.

"You want to go back already?" Question one. "Why do you want to go home?" Two. "Did something happen?"

 _Yeah, I want to go home, where I can get my shit together and don't have to worry about a half-naked beautiful girl putting sunscreen on me!_ "Nothing happened." He managed a laugh to hide his frustrations. "I just want to check on Morgana and Futaba."

Makoto frowned. "Yes, I'm sure they will both be happy when we all return." A pause, and then, "But you have been acting peculiar lately. You're not getting sick, are you?"

When she reached out to touch his head, he took a step back to avoid her. "I'm not sick. Maybe a bit tired from all of the sun?"

She nodded her head, but did not seem satisfied. "Well, if you do spend more time outside, please put on more sunscreen."

"And you?"

He had no idea where that came from.

"What?" Neither did she.

He struggled to get his words out of his mouth while keeping himself composed. "Are you going back out?"

She half-smiled at him, still confused as to what he was asking. "I-I had plans to, yes. Ms. Kawakami told me I could have a free afternoon and Ann wanted to-,"

"Then are _you_ protected from the sun?"

She opened her mouth to say something, but no words came out. She tried several times, each time making his grin grow wider, before she finally settled on, "I haven't yet, but I will."

Before he even knew what his body was doing, he reached for her wrist and pulled her into the room. She turned to him once the door closed, but he spoke first. "Let me return the favor."

Her eyes grew wide, his heart hammered painfully in his chest, but her blush made it all worth it. Even when she tried to stammer out a response and failed, he couldn't help but smile. He allowed her some extra time just in case she was too uncomfortable, so when she turned around, his chest tightened. Was she going to say no? Or question his behavior? Or prepare to attack him?

She instead pulled the light shirt she was wearing over her head and he was pretty sure he was going to faint. While she was clad in the same bathing suit she wore at the beach, the action alone was suggestive enough to make his head spin. How he managed to regain his composure before she turned back around, he had no idea.

"Make it quick. Ann said she wanted to meet up soon."

He was half-tempted to tell her to go, because one: he didn't think he could touch her without losing control of the situation, and two: because it wasn't going to be quick. No, he wanted to see if he could make her tremble at his touch the same way she could do to him.

Because asking if she liked him would have been way too difficult.

Realizing that he had yet to move and he was staring at her, he tore his gaze away from her and proceeded to look for some sunscreen. When he didn't find any, he started to panic. Would she leave if he couldn't find any, because he sure as hell didn't have any in his room. He could buy some! He would! He wanted to touch her _so bad_ …

"Here."

He turned to her as she held out the same bottle from the day before. He couldn't resist the chance to tease her. "You always keep a bottle of sunscreen with you? Or were you just that desperate for me to touch you?"

He laughed when she dropped the bottle and her blush grew ten shades darker. "I-I always carry some with me on the beach. B-because s-some people don't use it!"

"That's super sweet of you," he replied as he took a step towards her to pick the bottle off the floor. "Turn around." She was hesitant at first, but Ren finally coaxed her into facing away from him. He put some of the substance on his hand and leaned in right behind her ear. "This might be cold."

Not quite what he wanted to say, but he could hear the sharp intake of breath that left him satisfied all the same. He started on her shoulders, and she flinched when his hands came in contact with her skin. Because it was cold or because she was nervous, he couldn't say. He could feel her muscles tighten under him and he couldn't help but smile.

"You're awfully tense, Makoto." He pushed his thumbs in between her shoulder blades. "Why is that?"

Even with the cool sunscreen on his fingertips, he could feel the heat emanating off her skin. "I-I-it's cold."

He didn't want to believe her. He took a step closer to her, her back an inch away from his bare chest. He smirked. "I warned you, did I not?"

He continued to move his hands down her back, making sure to take his time and listen for any reaction out of her. Between the stiffness, the heat, and the fact she was breathing much faster than normal, he concluded that he was having some effect on her. And it excited him.

He ran his fingertips up both of her sides, making sure she could feel his nails on her skin. He once again found his thumbs pressing into the muscle between her shoulder blades. And then it happened.

She moaned. Light and raspy, and enough to send the wrong kind of chill down his spine. Sure, he didn't pull it out of her for the same reasons he would have liked to, but _hearing_ it was too much.

But he didn't stop. Instead, he pushed harder. He wanted, _needed_ to hear it again.

"I-I thought y-you were s-supposed-,"

"You don't like it?" He was so close to her that his nose was touching her ear. He thoroughly enjoyed that he could _feel_ her erratic heartbeat as she struggled to catch her breath. She didn't say anything to him, so he took her silence as the answer he wanted.

His hands started moving on their own, moving down her arms and slowly up her back before he would work her shoulder muscles to draw out another moan. The cycle repeated itself several times, but then he wanted to feel more of her. He trailed his fingers down her arms again, then placed his palms on her hips. When she did not protest his move, he slowly moved his hands onto her stomach. She gasped, and he pressed his chest against her back, his lips dangerously close to her neck. He wondered how she would taste…

His hands began to move once more, tracing the definition of the muscles in her stomach. Her hands came to rest on top of his, but she did not pull him off of her, or better yet, stop him. His smile darkened as he continued, his fingers inching higher and higher and-

"Ren…"

His fingers raked down her sides as he faltered. How long had he fantasized about hearing his name on her lips? How long had he wanted this moment to be real, to know that not only did he want it, but _she_ did as well? His hand reached over her to grab her wrist and he not-so-gently turned her around. He pulled her hips into his, her chest colliding with his, and smashed his lips onto hers.

He didn't offer her any time to grasp what was happening as he pushed her to the edge of the bed. His lips continued to move against hers, his tongue slipping in to taste her, his teeth occasionally biting at her lower lip. The fire building within him intensified when she moaned into his open mouth. One hand travelled up her back to untie the one piece of clothing denying him full upper body skin contact, but groaned when he failed. She laughed at him as her arms draped over his shoulders, pulling him even closer to her. Too eager to care how he removed it, he placed his hands on either side of her breasts, his thumbs hooking underneath the fabric to pull it up. She stiffened at his touch, the action causing him to lose balance and they toppled over onto the bed. His lips left hers for a moment to catch his breath and to adjust the uncomfortable position he found himself in from the fall.

The break was enough time for him to realize what he was doing.

Every nerve in his body froze. This was not one of his dreams. And it was wrong. _So wrong!_ He had to stop this. She was his friend. This would destroy it! She deserved so much better out of him. He immediately stood up, placing a good five feet between him and the bed. They were both still for a while, but then he turned as fast as he could and raced out of the room, too afraid to look back.

-0-

Ren pounded his bed until his arms felt like they were going to fall off. What the hell was wrong with him?! Why did his thoughts always turn so goddamn twisted when he was around her?! Had he not had the sense to pull away from her when he did...

So much for being a perfect gentleman.

He rubbed his throbbing temples while he face planted on the bed. He groaned loudly into the sheets. He would just have to come to accept the fact that he was another male teenager who only thought about girls and sex. School was a nice diversion, but he couldn't lie to himself anymore. He was trying to be smart to impress Makoto. So she would like him. And go out with him. And allow him to sweet-talk his way into being alone with her. And hear her beg for him to finish what he had started only hours ago…

He felt his stomach churn to the point he stood up and ran into the bathroom. He splashed water over his face to calm himself, and it worked for a few minutes. Then he looked into his reflection, realized how pathetic he was, and the nausea hit him again. He didn't try to stop it this time.

When he was done, he grabbed a towel and dampened it with cold water. He placed it over his face while he exited the room and collapsed on the bed closest to him. He felt better, but heavier, like gravity was pulling on him ten times stronger. He rolled onto his back when he heard his phone go off, but he made no move to grab it. It was likely someone from their group asking if he was okay.

He didn't have the heart to tell them that he wasn't.

A few _pings_ finally turned into a ring, and he forced himself up to check his phone. His anxiety hit him full force when he saw the only person trying to reach him was Makoto.

He dropped his phone and sat on the edge of the bed. It was in her nature to not leave things open-ended like this, but he really didn't know what to say to her. Maybe he should just come out and tell her that he had many sleepless nights dreaming about how he would touch her, ease his way inside her, just so he could swallow up his name when it came screaming out of her mouth. Or maybe he should tell her that on the other nights, he would dream he was back home, witnessing the drunk man harassing the defenseless woman. But when he grabbed the man and turned him around, he stared at his own reflection. And when he turned to the woman, he only saw Makoto.

He continued to ignore the calls and texts. After a few minutes, he grabbed his phone and turned it off, avoiding the temptation to respond to her. He went back to being sprawled out on the bed, his eyes searching the ceiling above him for answers to his problems.

He didn't find any.

His eyelids began to get heavy after a while and he let them close. He focused on the sounds around him. The ocean was just beyond his balcony door. He could hear footsteps roaming the halls outside of his room. He could hear muffled voices of the crowds down at the beach. He could hear his own breath, surprisingly steady and even.

Then he heard a knock on his door.

He wanted another five minutes to himself. He was feeling so much better, and any association with friends would ruin that. He tried to ignore whoever was at the door, but the light rasping soon became loud pounding.

Time to face the music.

He opened the door, and would have slammed it shut had Makoto not stopped him. "Enough. What the hell is wrong with you?"

She was much stronger than he gave her credit for as she pushed past him and into the room. He released the door and watched as it closed on its own. He closed his eyes, prayed to the gods he didn't believe in for strength and patience, then he turned around to face her.

"I really don't want to talk about-,"

"Stop." And there went his strength. "I'm tired of this, Ren. If I've done something to upset you, or anger you, or whatever it is you're feeling, I want you to tell me."

He laughed bitterly. Oh, if only it was that easy. "You really need to leave."

"Why?" There was something in her tone that caused his heart to skip a beat. "If you tell me why you would like me to leave, then I will."

He swallowed the lump of fear building in his throat. "Please."

She was quiet, hopefully thinking about doing what he asked without anymore questions. It would be a first, but he really needed his space.

She did the opposite and stepped right up to him, so close he could feel her body heat. "Why do you want me to leave?"

He couldn't keep the words from crossing the threshold of his mouth. "Because I'm afraid."

She was momentarily startled, and it allowed Ren to side-step around her for some much-needed air. He planted himself on the bed and threw his face into his palms, not wanting to continue the conversation he now knew she was going to make him finish.

"Y-you're afraid of me?"

He sighed, shaking his head. "You're not the one I'm afraid of."

It was quiet again, but then he felt the bed sink as she took a seat next to him. He stood up the minute he felt her hand on his arm. "I need you to go."

He walked to the other end of the room, putting some space between the two of them. He was hoping that she would get the message and she would leave, unhappily, but she would leave. So he couldn't help but be surprised when he heard her chuckle from her end of the room.

"Ren, I promise whatever you tell me, I'm not going to judge you."

He was starting to get angry, which worried him because he said stupid things when he got angry. "Look, I really don't want to talk about it. I'm going to get mad if you keep trying to get it out of me, so please, I need you to-,"

His breath caught in his throat when he once again felt her fingers on his arm. He froze in his spot as she leaned into his back, her arms crossing over his stomach. Every word he wanted to say died in his throat and he had to fight to keep his pulse in a healthy range.

He turned in her arms with the intent of pushing her away and asking her to leave again, but when he saw the playful smile on her lips, he knew it was over.

"You don't want me to leave, do you?"

Her eyes bore into his as if to challenge him to walk away from the situation, or take it for what it was worth. He did the latter. Without any grace or consideration, he roughly pressed his lips against hers and pulled her into him so he could feel every part of her against him. She tensed in surprise, but the longer he vented with his lips, teeth, and tongue, he felt her relax against him.

But that was when he pushed her away from him, almost causing her fall over. He did not need a repeat of what happened earlier. "Now do you see why I need you to leave?" he said, trying to catch his breath. While he loved every second their kiss, he hoped she could see exactly what he meant now. He didn't want to jeopardize their friendship over something like this.

She didn't say anything while she tried to regain her composure. When she found her voice minutes later, she smiled at him. "I don't see why this is a reason for me to leave."

He held her at arms-length when she tried to approach him. "God, how can you be so smart and still not know what I'm trying to say?"

"I think what you're feeling is normal."

That was not what he expected out of her. "I'm sorry?"

She smiled at him again, the faint tint of red on her cheeks darkening as she spoke. "I-I mean, I-I'm not an expert. B-But, um, I don't think it's o-okay to, u-um, to bottle up these kinds of emotions. I-I think m-maybe it would help if w-we…t-talked about it?"

His jaw almost hit the floor. Was this the same Makoto that he met, or was this some cruel prank by his imagination? But when she reached out and touched his face, he felt something swell in his heart that for once, he was not ashamed of.

"Please?"

His mind tried to pick apart the situation, but he had been fighting to keep things under wraps for so long, and she seemed eager enough to help him. How could he turn her down now?

They both sat on the edge of the bed, unable to look the other in the eye. Ren was the first to speak. "I'm sorry, you know, about earlier."

She scooted closer to him. "Why?"

He rubbed the back of his head. "Not quite how I envisioned my first kiss, to be honest."

He couldn't resist looking over at her when he felt her lean against his arm. "How did you want it to happen, then?"

He felt a bubble of happiness burst in his heart as he placed his hand under her chin to guide her towards him. "It was more like this," he whispered against her before he closed his eyes and met her lips with his own.

And for the first time in his life, he thanked a god.

* * *

Note to everyone: sun poisoning is no joke. Happened to me in Cancun, and I have great tanning genes. Did not let it ruin my vacation, though.

Also, I had to post this chapter today because it's going to be a long weekend. Plus, after some additions to this chapter, I have to change the others up slightly. I may not have time to get around to another update until later next week. But don't worry. If I haven't scared anyone off yet, I'll keep on going!

His next sin: Greed. One time was not enough.

A huge shout out to all you peeps for leaving kind words! I hope to not let any of you down.

Until then, the dragon rests.

龍の神様

Thanks for reading!


	5. Greed

**A/N:** I struggled with this chapter. And I will admit, Ren is very out of character here. But, it's kind of the point of the story, so I'm not going to change it. This is one of the longest chapters, so enjoy!

 **Dislcaimer:** I do not own Persona 5. If I did, Makoto would have taken Ren back home on a motorcycle!

* * *

 **His Sins**

 _Greed_

A few weeks ago, Ren couldn't wait to be thrown back into school duties and Phantom Thief business. Now, all he wanted was free time to hang out with Makoto. While he managed to keep things between them professional in public, he wanted to kiss her again, to hold her again, to touch her again. It was difficult to find time to do so during the afternoon, and he wasn't willing to chance asking her to come over at night.

However, he was to that point now. Things had been so chaotic that he had barely been able to speak to Makoto. Or even see her. The more time he had alone to remember their adventures in Hawaii, the more he wanted it again, and the more he started to care less about things he should have been caring about. Like when Morgana left to pursue Okumura on his own and all he thought about was how he was alone and how it may not happen again so…

He grunted and pulled himself up to complete another pull up. He couldn't understand why he was acting so selfish. If he asked her out, which he was working on finding the right moment, and she said yes, would things get better, or worse? Morgana was his friend, but he kept telling himself he would be okay. That he knew what he was doing. That he wouldn't have gotten into anything he couldn't handle. Meaning Ren could pick up where he left off with Makoto on their vacation…

He strained his muscles for another pull up. He would not succumb to his selfishness when his friend could be in very real danger. He tried to imagine what Morgana would tell him if he knew what he was thinking at the moment. _You were going to let me die for a night alone with a girl?! It wasn't Lady Ann, was it?!_ He allowed himself to laugh at that, even if a part of him was still very angry with himself.

He physically could not do another pull up, so he dropped to the ground beneath him and focused on catching his breath. He would just have to talk to Makoto tomorrow. Maybe it was high time he asked her to be his girlfriend. Maybe that would help, and maybe she would be willing to help get him back on the straight and narrow.

He fell onto his bed and grabbed his phone, deciding to set his plan in motion before he lost his nerve. _Can we talk tomorrow?_ He didn't expect a response, seeing as it was extremely late, but when he saw the three dots appear on his feed instantly, he grew anxious. Would she be too busy? Would she love to meet with him? Would she ask to come over now? Why was she still up?

His heart dropped when he read her response.

 _I can't._

-0-

The next morning, Ren tried to get to school earlier than normal to catch Makoto before classes started. He missed the train in Yongen-Jaya. Then missed the next one in Shibuya. Clearly there was someone who did not want him to have a chance to speak to her. He barely managed to arrive in his classroom right as the bell signaled for school to start.

So he tried on his lunch break. Ryuji found him, asking him to go running with him after school. He shook his head and rushed past him, only to find Ann around the corner. She asked if he had heard from Morgana, if they should plan a rescue mission, and other words he didn't listen to because he was running out of time. By the time he reached the student council room, he knew he would have to ask for a few minutes of her time after class. But when he opened the door, no one was there.

He shut the door a little harder than he intended. Was she trying to avoid him? Was she really that busy that she couldn't spend five minutes with him? Did she even want to talk to him? Was she mad at him? She had wanted to talk about what they both were feeling that night in Hawaii, but he had been too eager to keep kissing her. She had not tried to stop him, but she did have a habit of falling into her "push-over" personality from time to time…

Brooding over things wasn't going to do anything now. He turned around and headed back down the stairs, his frustration filling his stomach as if he had eaten a full course meal. He reached his desk in his homeroom and sat down. He checked his phone on the off chance she had messaged him.

She had not.

He tried again to reach out to her. _You're a really good hide-n-go-seek player. Couldn't find you at all during lunch._

He stared at his phone to await a response, but when the bell rang again and he saw nothing appear on his screen, he felt defeated. Partially annoyed. He knew she saw his message. She could have at least said something.

He waited for her after school by the front gate. He leaned against the stone wall with his phone in his right hand. He wanted to text her to say that he was waiting for her, but any rejection would have angered him. He didn't want to get angry when he was trying to ask her out. He put his phone in his pocket to avoid the temptation. He instead thought of things to say when he saw her. Everything that came to his mind only made him realize how inexperienced he was at asking a girl out, and how she would probably say no to him because he sounded like an idiot.

But the longer he waited, the more irritated he got. The clouds were growing darker over the buildings and he didn't have an umbrella with him. He pulled out his phone once more, found her chat ID, and began typing.

 _I really need to talk to you. I'm waiting for you out by the gate. I won't take but a few minutes of your time._

A drop of rain fell onto his glasses. He glanced up at the sky and cursed. Maybe this was a sign that he wasn't supposed to talk to her. That he shouldn't ask her out. That she didn't really like him. That he was only setting himself up for heartache if he stayed.

So when the thunder boomed in the distance almost twenty minutes later with no response from Makoto, he gripped his phone to the point he heard it crack.

 _Never mind. I'm going home._

-0-

Ren stopped his workout that night when he literally felt something tear in his arm. Thankfully he landed on his feet, but then he fell to his knees and grabbed his injured arm. He felt his head begin to throb, and he soon felt something sting behind his eyes. Whether it was because of the pain in his arm or the pain in his heart, he wouldn't admit. He pounded the floor with his uninjured arm, knowing no one was around to complain. Where the hell was Morgana? Why wasn't Makoto responding to him? Why did Iwai make him dust his damn shelf _again_?

 _Ping_.

He flinched when his phone went off on his bed, but then he bolted over to where it rested. He was extremely disappointed when he saw a message from Ann.

 _Is everything okay with you?_

He dropped to the floor, clutching his phone in his good hand, and leaned back against the mattress. What would he tell her? That he had been dreaming of another make out session with Makoto? That he wanted to pick up from where they left off in Hawaii? That he wanted to be the only thing in her world the same way she was in his? That he wasn't even thinking about their missing friend?!

 _I pulled something in my arm today working out…_

Her response was instantaneous. _That's not what's wrong with you._

He sighed, trying to be very careful about what he wrote back. _I've just been stressed. Between working and school and what happened to the principal…_

He ended it there, afraid of what he would say if he kept going.

 _Alright. But if you ever need to talk, you can come to me. K?_

He smiled and replied with: _I know. Thank you,_ before he put his phone down on the floorboards beside him. He leaned his head back against the mattress and stared at the ceiling. In a quick and impulse move, he grabbed his phone again, clicked a name, then hit call.

He wasn't expecting Makoto to pick up, but he was going to call her until she did. Or at least until she texted him to leave her alone. The first ring was met with no success; the second one as well. He began to feel rage building in his chest when she didn't pick up after the fifth attempt. One more, he told himself, and then he would get the message.

So naturally he was surprised to hear her voice on the other end. "Ren?"

So surprised that he had no idea what to say back to her. "Yeah?" He pulled himself together and remembered why he was calling her in the first place. "You've been ignoring me."

She was silent for so long that he thought she hung up on him. "I know."

"Why?"

Again, she was quiet. He spoke up in her place. "Makoto, look, if you're uncomfortable around me after what happened, you can tell me. But I want to know." His heart didn't stop there. "I would like to think that you like me, because we both enjoyed each other on our trip. You don't need to be embarrassed about it, or think that I am judging you. Because the truth is, I want to do it again, and I've wanted to ask you for a few days if you would be my-,"

"Not everything in my life revolves around you, Ren," was all she said before she hung up on him.

-0-

Ren made sure that he arrived at school early enough the next morning to catch Makoto before school started. She was usually very early, he had learned, so she could brush up on topics they would discuss in class. Recently, she had taken to the library to study for her college entrance exams. He had always teased her, saying they were months away, but she didn't want time to sneak up on her and miss out on the chance to be at the top of her class.

When he saw several of his peers pass by him with no sign of her, his anger began to get the better of him. He tapped his foot on the ground to serve as a distraction, listening as groups of friends passed him and eyed him like he didn't belong there. He clenched his fists tightly in his pockets when he heard some old rumors resurface, but his eyes continued to scan the crowd for Makoto.

"Dude, why're you so pissed?"

He turned and met Ryuji's eyes, and the boy's expression was a cross between nervous and worried. He realized his teeth were still clenched, his fists still balled up, and his eyes still narrowed. He was basically a ticking time bomb and Ryuji just happened to notice.

He took a deep breath to steady himself before he forced a grin. "I just heard some old rumors that I had thought died months ago. That's all," he said as he shrugged his shoulders. "I'm impressed you're here this early." How the hell did Ryuji beat Makoto to school?

His friend still regarded him carefully for a moment, then he rubbed the back of his head with a smile. "Ah, come on, man. Don't pull a Makoto on me today!"

He turned slowly as to not draw curiosity out of Ryuji. He grimaced and bit his lip to keep his mouth shut. He would not drag any of his friends into his drama before he had a chance to settle it on his own. "Let's get to class, superstar."

Ryuji would have beamed at his compliment had it not been laced with anger.

-0-

This time, Ren was prepared. He had an umbrella. He had a coat. He had snacks. He even had a few books in case he got bored. He was determined to come face-to-face with Makoto after school, and he would wait the entire night if he had to.

He waited a full ten minutes before he saw her out of the corner of his eyes. He held up the book he was reading to mask his presence (it worked _so_ well for her, after all) and decided to wait until he could catch her at the station. He didn't want to talk to her around the school where other students could intervene thinking he was going to hurt her.

She didn't notice him, but he noticed the way she carried herself, and something tore inside of him. What if she was upset about something in her personal life? What if the school's administrators were hounding her because she had not been on good terms with the deceased principal? What if he really wasn't the reason she was avoiding him? Or what if he was, and he was just making the situation harder on her?

He reached out to touch her shoulder, his heart heavy with regret. She jumped at the contact, turning around quickly and falling into a defensive stance. He would have laughed at how cute she was if he wasn't filled with dread.

"Are you okay?" was all he could find courage to ask. She looked so tired, like she hadn't slept in days. But she still appeared enough on edge to be ready to defend herself if need be. She remained in her trance for a few minutes, then she blinked and stood up straight, her head falling to her chest.

"I don't have time to talk today."

"I'll walk you home."

She tensed again. "N-no, that's okay."

He smiled weakly at her. "I want to."

Then, a confession. "I'm not going home."

She spun around and tried to get away from him, but he caught her wrist before she walked off. He was mildly curious as to where she was going, and if this was the same reason that kept her up all night and away from him. She tried to pull her hand out of his, but he held her firmly.

"Where are you going, then? I'll take you."

"No." She tried to escape his grasp again and failed. He pulled her into him and he wrapped his arms around her shoulders to keep her from slipping away.

"Please tell me what's wrong. I want to-,"

He felt a sharp pain in his stomach and he released his hold on her. She stepped away from him as he doubled over. Had she just _punched_ him? She seemed troubled for a moment, but then the concern and regret was wiped off of her face.

"I have to go."

He was done. He was done playing nice. He was done waiting. He was done trying to keep his anger under wraps. And now she had crossed the line by punching him. He ran after her and grabbed her upper arm before she was able to pass the gate to the trains. He pulled her back into a dark corner, away from the preying eyes of any remaining students. He dodged one pitifully aimed punch to his chest before he pushed her back into the wall, his hands pinning her wrists at her sides.

When she made an attempt to slam her knee into his groin, he pushed himself against her so she was effectively trapped.

"What the hell is wrong with you?"

The fear in her eyes made him waiver for only a second, and she tried to take advantage of it. He tightened his grip on her wrists and leaned over her shoulder so his forehead touched the wall. He wouldn't make the same mistake twice.

"Let me go."

Or maybe he would. She sounded terrified, like he was a criminal and hurting her and no one would help her.

"Not until you tell me what's wrong."

She struggled against him again, but he quickly ended it. She didn't respond to him, and he groaned in frustration.

"Am I such a terrible person that you can't come talk to me when something is wrong?"

He felt the weight of his frustration, anger, and regret pull at him like he was that ball dropped from a building in his physics homework. He lowered his head to her shoulder, his hands releasing her wrists to wrap around her back. He didn't want her to be afraid of him. He didn't want her to think she had no one to talk to. And here he was, giving her the perfect reason _not_ to trust him. He felt her relax slightly in his arms, just not enough to feel comfortable stepping away, in case she took off again.

"People are going to think you're trying to do something."

He sure as hell didn't expect her to say that. He first thought it was a trick to get him to release her, but if he were honest, the idea of being up against a wall with her brought on its own kind of thoughts.

He grinned, turning his head to put his lips against her ear. "Do you want them to think that?"

She gasped at his closeness. Or his suggestion. Either way, the atmosphere around them was completely different. Her hands made their way up to his chest, leaving a trail of scorched nerves in the process. The temptation to taste her skin became too much for him. She inhaled sharply when his lips found a sensitive spot behind her ear, and he relished in the sound. He lightly kissed the same spot again, being bolder and adding the tip of his tongue. She grabbed at his shirt and he could feel her heartbeat against his lips. Taking her reaction as one of pleasure, he continued, his lips moving against her neck, his teeth lightly scraping against her skin as he moved to her jaw line.

He hovered over her ear, his voice dark and husky. "I think you're enjoying this." He couldn't help the next comment from escaping his lips. "Maybe we could continue this back at my place," he whispered as she tensed against him. He smiled eagerly as he resumed his task, pulling away from her slightly when his lips reached the corner of her mouth. His eyes locked with hers and he could feel the heat from the blush on her face.

But when he leaned in to kiss her, she pushed him back with so much force that he fell back and landed on his ass. When he finally came out of his stupor, he realized that she was gone.

-0-

The next few weeks were strange. They rescued Morgana. They officially met Haru. They infiltrated her father's palace. He died. And it shook him to the core. The team had all agreed that they did nothing wrong (right?) and that the mysterious man in the black mask was the real culprit. But he had no evidence of that. For all he knew, they had failed and now Haru was going to the police to turn them in and he would never see the light of day again.

Oddly enough, he was okay with that.

He was already prisoner enough to his own mind.

It had been a few days since Okumura's nationally televised passing. He was sure Haru wasn't going to go to the police; she had actually been very understanding and determined to find out who was behind it. But the more time he sat in the darkness of his own room, the more he had time to think about how much of it was his fault. He never really spent any time investigating the black mask fellow, and now he had let him kill someone. He should have been able to stop it. He should have been prepared. They had been warned that this man was lurking in the shadows, and yet, he didn't do a thing.

He wished Morgana would have stayed, but for once, he allowed himself to not be so _fucking_ selfish and agreed on having the feline stay with Futaba for a few days. She was probably the one he was worried about the most after Haru, who promised she was okay. Since he was used to handling his personal dilemmas alone, he didn't mind too much. He was used to not having anyone to talk to. He was used to-

His phone beeped on the windowsill, but he made no effort to sit up and check it. After a few minutes, it happened again. He decided the only reason he would check it was because his mind was wandering into dark areas where he really didn't want to be. And when he checked the last message, he felt himself fall into it completely.

 _Can I come over?_

He almost replied _NO_ to Makoto's text, but he couldn't get his fingers to work with his brain. He typed _Sure,_ instead. He dropped his phone onto his stomach and flopped back onto the bed. What the hell was he thinking? It was way past time for her to be coming over, and he was terrified that if the conversation wasn't short enough, she would have to stay. And he already knew what would happen if _that_ happened…

But he was excited at the same time. He shouldn't be, he scolded himself, but he was. She didn't really say why she was coming over, but she didn't seem like the type of girl who would go over to a guy's house at this late of an hour just for sex. Even if they were both still a little emotional from Okumura's death, he wouldn't let it happen.

But if she wanted to, who was he to deny her?

He violently shook his head. As of now, he currently didn't even know where he stood with her. The last time he saw her on non-Phantom Thief business, she had pushed him at the train station. Maybe she wanted to talk about what it was that she had been hiding from him? Maybe she wanted to talk about their next course of action?

Or, maybe she wanted something more from him?

No. He wouldn't let it happen. Even if she wanted it. They were already unstable enough and he wasn't going to push it any further until he knew for a _fact_ where they were. They would both regret it, and he didn't need any more guilt in his life. She was coming over just to talk. Nothing else. Or he would make her leave. Because he sure as hell couldn't count on his emotions in the heat of the moment.

When the knock came on the café's door, he froze. He wasn't ready. He knew the minute she stepped inside, it was over. The implications of a beautiful girl alone in his room at night with his raging hormones were enough to trip him down the last few stairs. He didn't want to answer the door, but…she had come all this way. He could at least see what she wanted. At the door. Then tell her to leave.

He tried to remember all the times he was angry with her as he picked himself off the floor. She punched him. She pushed him. She ignored him. She was hiding something from him. She destroyed his self-control. And it worked. He walked across the café to the door, supporting a slight limp on his right foot. But when he opened the door, his anger vanished.

"I'm sorry to bother you so late at night," she said, avoiding his gaze. "But I," she paused and his heart skipped a beat. "I-I really want to talk to you."

His mouth opened to say, "we can talk out here," but his brain liked to resort to one word when it shut down.

"Sure."

He held the door open for her while she stepped inside. Every part of him was screaming for him to touch her, to ask her upstairs, to settle this little game once and for all, but thankfully his mind acted faster than his body.

"Would you like something to drink?"

She sat down in one of the booths and shook her head. "I don't plan on staying long."

He tried not to feel so upset about it. "So," he started after the silence was too much for him. "What brings a beautiful girl to my doorstep this late at night?"

 _Don't answer that_ , he screamed inwardly, actually thankful when she didn't reply. She sat in the booth, her eyes downcast and her hands nervously fidgeting on her lap. He wanted to reach out and take them in his, but he was too worried that the act of affection would escalate beyond his control.

He leaned up against the bar and placed his hands in his pockets, just in case the urge came back. "I know we've been kind of, on and off lately, but I want you to be able to come talk to me if something is bothering you. About me, about a friend, about-,"

"My sister?"

He was surprised to hear her voice, but more so to hear her answer. "Your sister?"

When her hands went to cover her face, he was on his knees in front of her in an instant.

"What's wrong, Makoto? Is she okay? Is she-?" He realized then that he really didn't even know what could have been wrong. He had been so wrapped up in Makoto herself that he never really asked her about her life. Aside from the events surrounding Eiko, she never seemed to speak to him about anything personal. He knew about her father. He knew about her mother. He knew _of_ her sister, and that she was the one who was harassing Sojiro for information about Futaba's mother. But he found that out from Futaba herself. He didn't really know the first thing about her relationship with her older sister.

He felt his heart break when she spoke again. "She-she has a-she has…"

He pulled her into his arms when her voice broke. At first, she tried to pull away, but then she dug her face into his shoulder and cried. He never saw her cry. And it hurt. A lot. Did something happen to her sister? She was the only family he was aware of that she had left. His stomach churned with regret for not being there for her earlier, but he held her tighter to fight back the bile rising to his mouth.

He didn't even know what to say to her while she sobbed into him. She probably avoided him because of how he liked to act around her. While he would like to think it was a nice distraction from her problems, she never _talked_ about them. His damn selfishness always got the better of him. What if she had tried to approach him about it, and instead of wanting to listen, he envisioned a better way for _him_ to spend his time?

"I'm sorry," he finally said, one hand coming up to stroke the back of her head. He left it at that, knowing anything else he would say would be pitiful, and she needed more from him now.

She sniffed before she pulled away from him. She never met his eyes. He watched her take a slow inhale, release it, and then she looked right at him.

"My sister has a palace."

His jaw dropped. His eyes widened. He pulled away from her for a moment. She took his actions the wrong way.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you. I-I didn't want-,"

He pulled her to him again, his grip tightening around her arms. "Please tell me you're okay." A million thoughts and emotions ran through his head. Was her sister hurting her? With the exception of Futaba, every palace ruler up to this point had been physically or emotionally hurting someone close to them.

"She's not hurting me," she said to clear the air. She turned her head and relaxed against his chest. "She's too invested in her job. She only talks about promotions and conviction rates. She doesn't care anymore about helping anyone but herself. It's no longer a passion for justice, but-," she stopped as her voice cracked once more. "She was hurting Sojiro."

He held her closer as he felt a tear land on his arm. "That's not your fault."

"I wasn't a good sister."

"Stop." He held her away from him, but his hands gripped her shoulders tightly. "This is not your fault. You did everything you could to make her happy."

"All I did was study-,"

"Which is what she wanted to you do."

"-And it made me miss the early signs. I could have helped her before this happened!"

"I don't think you could have stopped it, Makoto." He didn't know her sister, but he knew _her_. While Makoto's heart was in the right place, someone with her level of dedication and intelligence could easily manifest a palace with the right motivation. A young woman in a man's corrupted world could easily have been the trigger. Especially with the stress of having to support a younger sibling.

"I don't know your sister, but I know you." He figured he should continue with reason. "I'm sure she's super smart, loves to work hard, and gets extremely angry at the drop of a hat." He smiled lightly when she pushed him. He wrapped his arms around her again. "So let's come up with a way to help her, as a team-,"

She successfully pushed him away. "No."

He frowned. "No?"

"I don't want you to take her treasure! …N-not yet."

She tried to stand and move around him, but he blocked her ability to get anywhere. "Why?"

Her eyes fell to the floor. She appeared to be struggling to find an answer for him. He grew anxious in her silence. "Makoto, why do you not want us to help?"

She did not look up at him. "B-because… I-I…I-,"

Was this why she had been so distant? Her sister having a palace was devastating news, but he thought she would be eager to have the team help her. Her resistance was slightly unnerving. And it didn't help that she seemed hesitant to tell him why. Why would she even tell him at all if she didn't want his help?

He tried to give her time to tell him on her own, but when minutes passed without an indication of her answering him, he gave up.

"It's getting late, Makoto. I should walk you back to the station before the trains stop running for the night."

She must have sensed the disappointment in his tone. She stiffened and looked up at him with a pained expression. Her head once again fell to her chest, masking any emotion, good or bad, from his sight.

"I-I-,"

It may have been his imagination, but he felt something change in the room. "Do you not want to leave?"

He approached her carefully, knowing she could react with the slightest provocation, and knowing if she reacted the _right_ way, she wasn't going anywhere. He came to stop in front of her, her head still down, and he placed one hand on her shoulder. He couldn't tell if he was thrilled or upset when she didn't flinch. Was she coming to enjoy his touch, or was it something different? He _did_ change the subject rather quickly. Perhaps he should have taken her to the station.

But he already started, so why not continue? He was _desperate_ for another chance alone with her. Maybe it was what she was trying to say? "I'm perfectly fine with waiting for you to talk to me." He leaned in closer. "But if you came over to sleep with me, you should have just said that."

He realized too late what he said. He didn't mean to say it. He was about to open his mouth to reiterate that he was okay with having her sleep _next_ to him, but he noticed again that she made no reaction to his statement. And he was sure a statement like that would have pulled some sort of reaction out of her.

He assumed she was stunned silent. He ran his hand down her arm, watching her carefully. He reached her hand and tugged on it, hoping to get her to look at him. She didn't. "Would you rather we finish this conversation upstairs?"

"I haven't found Dad yet."

She was so quiet that he barely heard what she said, but there was something in her tone that worried him. He chose to ignore it. Why would she be looking for her dad? He was gone, wasn't he? And why would that stop her from talking to the team about her sister and the discovery of… He stopped as realization dawned on him. "You've _been_ to her palace?!"

For the first time all night, she answered immediately. "Yes."

He took a deep breath to calm his emotions. "How many times?"

She didn't answer.

He lifted her head with his hands. "How many times, Makoto?"

She pulled away from him, but there was something dark in her eyes. He then noticed that her hands were balled into fists at her side. "Futaba saw her mother again, so I thought I could see Dad. I thought maybe _he_ would help me find a way to save Sis."

It bothered him that she didn't seem to be nervous. In fact, she seemed to be suppressing her anger. Why the hell would she be angry? "And you thought this was the best way to do it?!" he yelled, ignoring the prick at his heart. Had she been implying he wouldn't help her? "By going into the Metaverse _alone?!_ "

Her voice was cold and quiet, and his anger began to change into nervousness. "I wanted to ask you, but I knew you wouldn't care to help me."

He faltered. "W-what?"

Then she snapped at him. "All you care about is how _you_ feel! You don't think twice about me or anyone else! When Morgana left, you didn't care. When Yusuke was sick, you didn't care. But you sure as hell cared when I ignored you! Because that left you in your room alone instead of fulfilling your deepest desire to have me scream your name while writhing underneath you! Even now, all you want to do is drag me upstairs and have your way with me!"

While she didn't physically attack him, he felt as if the wind had been knocked out of him. He stared back at her, dumbfounded, and she took the delay to push him out of her way and head towards the door.

His body felt heavier as the seconds passed. He didn't know how he was able to summon the strength to speak. "Wait."

She didn't.

* * *

This was actually very difficult for me to write, so I hope it came out okay. It's a nice set up for the next chapter.

I apologize for pushing my boundaries with the characters, but, it will only get worse in the next chapter, so be ready.

His next sin: Sloth. They thought Futaba was bad...

Thanks again for the kind words and support throughout the story! Two more chapters to go, and I hope to not let any of you cool human beings down!

Until then, the dragon rests.

龍の神様

Thanks for reading!


	6. Sloth

**A/N:** This is very OOC, and maybe slightly depressing, so brace yourselves. I drop a few swear words in here, but again, a few is nothing compared to how I speak. And I warned you earlier on...

This was probably the chapter that was the hardest for me to write. It went through several revisions on top of that, and I'm still not 100% happy with it. However, in my mind, I achieved what I needed to with this. So here you go.

Enjoy!

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Persona 5. If I did, Akechi would have owned an iHOP in Tokyo.

* * *

 **His Sins**

 _Sloth_

When Futaba had approached him to explain Akechi's plan to kill him, he almost clapped his hands and said, _Let's do it. When and where does he want me to meet him?_ Even as his team scrambled to put pieces of plans together to let him come out on top, he couldn't help but feel like telling them to stop. He didn't want to go back to jail, which is what would happen if their plan succeeded. He sure as hell was tired of living the life he was no longer enjoying. What other option did he have?

"Don't worry, Ren," Morgana said as he rubbed his head against his leg. "We won't let anything bad happen to you."

He smiled down at him, hoping the gesture would be enough to comfort his friend. He just hoped that no one ever found out the real reason why he was so depressed.

Maybe it was better if he talked to someone. It couldn't be any of his friends. He was already crucifying himself enough as it was, and he was afraid their input would have him going straight up to Akechi and handing him his own gun. A doctor? Would Takemi help him? Maybe Tora, because he had been through some shit.

"Hey, get down here and help me with these customers!"

Or maybe he could talk to Sojiro. But…he was far too involved with his friends, so he worried about what he would think of him once he talked to him. Futaba was likely downstairs as well. He would never hear the end of it from her if she knew he wasn't focused on dealing with Akechi like he should have been.

What was another day of bottling up self-loathing and hatred?

He walked down the stairs, his hand to the wall to balance himself. Sojiro was standing at the stove, stirring the pot in front of him. He looked around for Futaba and was surprised when she wasn't around. Maybe he could talk to him after all?

"Where's Futaba?"

Sojiro narrowed his eyes at him. "I didn't ask for Futaba's help; I asked for yours."

Embarrassed and slightly afraid, he quickly made his way into the kitchen, grabbed his apron, and asked the older man what he needed to do. He didn't answer, which prompted him to look around the café once more. He realized then that not only was Futaba not there, but there wasn't a single customer around. Feeling confused, he turned to Sojiro and saw his features drawn together in concern.

"Something wrong?" he asked, anxious to find out the answer.

Sojiro stopped stirring the pot to turn to him. "You might not be my kid, or have any relation to me at all, but you're _my_ kid. No one threatens either one of you and gets away with it."

He felt something sting behind his eyes as he watched Sojiro turn away from him. He may have had one or two tears fall from his eyes. He had been feeling like complete shit for the past few weeks and this…this was too much for him to handle.

"T-Thank you." He wiped his eyes with the back of his hand before the older man could see his crack in composure. He then took a deep breath. "But, you can't get rid of me that easily."

Sojiro laughed, although a bit weakly, from where he stood. Was he crying too? "Yeah, I guess I couldn't get that lucky, huh?"

"Don't worry, Boss!" Morgana jumped on the edge of the bar, scaring both Ren and Sojiro in the process. "We won't let him go without a fight!"

Sojiro scratched the back of his head. "What the hell is he saying?"

"He said," Ren patted the cat's head, "Next time you need help with imaginary customers, ask Futaba."

Morgana's eyes widened. "No I didn't!" But the older man simply laughed again.

"Then I suggest you take your ass to bed. Both of you! I'm about to close up shop anyway."

Ren smiled and nodded his head, grabbing Morgana around the middle and carrying him up to his room. He thought he heard Sojiro mumble something like "It's good to see him sarcastic again," at which he almost stumbled up the stairs. He dropped the cat on the bed and sat down himself. It was a long day. He was tired. But he was somewhat relieved. Sojiro's words were a nice reminder that he had good father figure. He had good friends. He had people who _cared_ about him. He could at least find happiness in that, right?

"Alright, Ren, what's going on with you?"

Morgana sat on his lap, staring up at him with big blue eyes filled with concern. Had Ren let something slip recently? He tried to pretend everything was okay, and he thought he was a good pretender…

"I would like to think we've been around each other long enough for me to know when something is bothering you."

He tried to erase the cat's worries with his smile. "Who wouldn't be worried when someone threatens to kill-,"

"That's not what's bothering you, Ren." His face fell. "Because you've been acting like this for weeks now. I'm actually more concerned than I was because you didn't even _blink_ when Futaba told you about Akechi the other day!"

Looks like he needed to brush up on his acting skills. "It's nothing for you to worry about-,"

He gasped in pain as Morgana clawed at his leg. "Don't you dare lie to me again."

He couldn't possibly vent to Morgana. He would laugh at him. He would berate him. He would tell the team that Ren actually _did_ deserve to die. But he needed to give some sort of answer before Morgana tore his leg to shreds.

"Have you ever wanted something so bad, but then royally fuck everything up to the point you just want to crawl into a hole and die? Or have your arch enemy plot to kill you?"

Silence. Clearly Morgana wasn't expecting that kind of response. Ren finally pulled his glasses off of his face, rubbed his eyes, and collapsed back against the bed. He grimaced when the top of his head hit the wall.

Morgana finally broke the silence. "What did you do then?"

"That, I don't want to tell you."

He felt Morgana by his side, then his two front paws landed on his chest. "Ren…"

He turned on his side to avoid the contact. "I already know what you, and everyone else, will say to me. And I don't want to hear it from any of you. I hear it enough from myself."

Morgana didn't move from his spot. But the silence was overwhelming. What else could he say? What else could they talk about so that he didn't have to admit what a terrible human being he was?

He sighed. "I'm happy everyone seems to-,"

"You don't trust me?"

The sadness in his tone brought that sting back to his eyes.

"Ren, no matter what you did, I don't think you're a terrible person. You're actually the best human I know! Every day, I keep telling myself that I want to find a way to be human, but, if I'm being honest, you're exactly how I would want to be. So I'm okay just being everyone's furry little friend. There doesn't need to be _two_ of us." Morgana stopped, but his humor didn't land. He started again to break the silence. "But," he paused and Ren felt tears slid down his face. "But I don't know how to help you if you don't tell me what's wrong."

He wiped the tears off his face and tried to respond with a steady voice. "I hurt someone."

Morgana jumped over his side and landed in front of him. "They probably deserved it then."

" _She_ deserves better," came his weak, defensive reply.

It was quiet for a few moments, then Morgana gasped loudly. "You are hiding a _girlfriend_ from me?!" his friend exclaimed, trying to add some light to the situation.

Ren just buried his head into the mattress. "She deserves better."

Whoever said curiosity didn't kill the cat must not have had a curious enough cat. "Did you embarrass yourself on a date? Did you say something stupid?" Ren swatted at him to stop, but he didn't. "Did you try to make a move on her and she rejected you?"

He pushed himself up so quickly, Morgana was flown off the bed in fright. "No, Morgana! The opposite in fact! I made a move on her and she enjoyed it and then I couldn't stop wanting more of it, to the point I didn't care about you being missing or her having family problems or _anything but fucking her!_ "

Morgana made no sound, and for a moment, Ren thought he was dead. But he was yelling and hurt and so pissed at himself that he couldn't stop the words flying from his mouth. "So no, she's not my girlfriend, because what piece of shit human being like me deserves an amazing girl like her?! What kind of piece of shit human being deserves _anything_ from _any one_ of you!? And yet, the first time I have a chance to get what I deserve, you guys all make plans to stop it! I'm no better than that piece of shit I pulled off that woman back home! Actually, no, I'm _worse_ than him! Because he at least didn't try and throw his desires onto one of his best friends!"

Hot and angry tears rolled down his face and onto the bed. He slammed his fist into the wall beside him, his hand breaking right through it. He let out a frustrated scream before he succumbed to his pity and pain and wept against the wall.

Morgana didn't say a word the rest of the night.

-0-

Ren woke up the next morning with a pounding headache. The sunlight shining in from the window wasn't making it any better. He shut his eyes, willing the pain behind them to go away. He probably deserved that, too, because he had spent the better half of the night crying about his own problems. Problems that _he_ caused. That he took out on Morgana and now he was never going to be able to look at his teammates the same way again.

When he felt something move against his hand, he shot up. He sat up too quickly; the movement adding more pressure to his already painful migraine. He felt something against his hand again, a wrapping maybe? When he was able to clear his vision, he turned to his side.

He almost fell out of the bed.

"You shouldn't be destroying Boss's property like that."

He stared wide eyed at the girl before him. Makoto was wrapping his injury with some gauze because apparently he did some damage to his hand. He actually felt like he may have broken it. But that didn't matter now.

"W-what are you doing here?"

She didn't say anything while she finished wrapping his hand. She then took his hand in both of hers and tried to smile at him.

"I-I was worried about you."

He stared into her eyes for a few seconds before he realized who she was and yanked his hand from hers. "You shouldn't be."

He heard her sigh and for a moment and he thought she was going to leave. But she didn't. "Ren, I want you to talk to me."

He shook his head. "I would rather you leave."

It was quiet again, then he felt her sit on the bed next to him. When he made a move to shift away from her, she put a hand on his arm to stop him.

"Then I'll talk first. I may have used you when I asked you to be my boyfriend a while back. I didn't consider your feelings in the slightest. So naturally when I felt you were starting to flirt with me, I assumed it was just your personality. Over time, I thought that maybe you reserved it for me, but then you were at the beach trying to talk to other girls and I…I may have been jealous. I'm not as beautiful as Ann, or as interesting as Futaba, so I concluded that you just act that way towards everyone. But when you came over and pulled me away from that guy and told me you knew the type of guy I liked, I thought maybe you really did like me." She paused and he held his breath. "Ryuji is also still waiting for an apology."

He was so entranced in her voice and what she had been saying that it took him a moment to realize what she had just said. And then he laughed heartily.

"He's the one who owes _me_ an apology."

She smiled as she leaned against his side. "I may have pushed my boundaries on that trip to Hawaii. I figured if I couldn't use words, I could show my affection for you in different ways. But then you kept running away from me or hiding, and the doubt came back. So when you kissed me, I-I was really happy."

His heart swelled with joy, but he didn't cut her off.

"I didn't mean to avoid you when we came back. I may have been a little scared about how I was feeling and what had happened, and I was worried about what I would do if we were ever alone again."

He wanted to kiss her then and there, but she held a finger to his lips to stop him.

"That's when I found out about my sister. I had a feeling that she may have had a palace after I joined the group, but…but I was too afraid to find out. And when I did, I didn't think I could keep it from you if I saw you. So I avoided you as best I could, for my own selfish reasons. It was so hard to push you away, but I was scared that if you knew, you would be angry with me for hiding it and-,"

"Stop it."

"And then I began to think that…that all you really wanted from me…was…was to-," She trailed off, but he knew where she was going. She spoke up before he could. "I didn't know if you wanted to be with me for me, or my body. So that day in the station, I jumped to conclusions. And when I came to talk to you about Sis because I couldn't keep quiet anymore, I was actually really nervous that you were going to try and finish your hunt. Especially when you didn't seem to care about anything but keeping me overnight."

He stiffened at that. "My _hunt_?"

She ignored him. "But then I saw what it was doing to you. And when Morgana told me what happened last night, I was afraid." Her grip tightened around his arm. "The fact that you think you _deserve_ to die…it hurt. More than I thought it would. And it scared me."

He wrapped his arms around her and dropped his head into her hair. "Makoto, _you_ are not the one who couldn't control their emotions. Who couldn't control their impulses. Who couldn't stop thinking about their desires long enough to look at the world around them."

"That doesn't make you a terrible human." She paused. "I-I really think it makes you normal."

He almost started crying again. "You think _that's_ normal?"

He felt her smile against him. "You're no more of a monster than I am, Ren."

"Why do you say that?" He was honestly surprised by her response, but he also felt like she was just trying to comfort him. And the last thing he needed was her pity. Especially when she should have been angry with him.

"U-uh, w-well…b-because…" He always thought that she was so cute when she stuttered. But he really needed a straightforward answer.

"You don't need to pity me, Makoto."

He felt her inhale, then her words came out so fast he could barely make out what she said. "Because every time you had your hands on me I didn't want you to stop and I was always so upset when you pulled away and thought maybe I wasn't doing something right or something was wrong with me and-,"

She ran out of breath, but she didn't need to say anything else. His heart literally jumped into his throat and he couldn't stop himself from laughing. She stiffened against him and he could feel the heat from her blush warming his arm.

"D-don't laugh at me."

He eased into light chuckling. "I'm sorry. I'm not laughing at _you_ , just…" He rubbed the back of his head, trying to find the right words. "I just…always wanted to hear you say that to me."

There was a silence that fell and for once, it wasn't uncomfortable. It was actually pleasant. He was content just holding her, having her sitting next to him, feeling her breathing slowly even itself out. Interesting because a few weeks ago if this were to happen, he would have _not_ been satisfied with just holding her.

It was a wonderful feeling.

"C-can I ask you something?"

He nodded his head on the top of hers, smiling as he grabbed onto one of her hands. "You can ask me anything."

He felt her squeeze his hand before she spoke up. "When did you, um…start to…h-have f-feelings for me?"

"The first day I met you," he replied calmly, his thumb running over the top of her knuckles. "You were one of the first people I met who didn't seem to be afraid of me. Even when you knew who I was."

She laughed softly. "I may have been too absorbed in my studies."

"And that's what I liked about you. So dedicated and smart, intimidating but unbelievably adorable. And I couldn't help myself."

"A-adorable?" she stammered, shifting on the bed next to him.

He couldn't help but smirk at that. "Super adorable."

She chose to remain quiet. While he would have liked to have done the same, he felt he owed her some explanations. "I'm sorry for never saying anything to you before everything spiraled out of control. But you were just so sexy in that bathing suit and I couldn't think about anything else." He felt his arm by her face grow warm again, but she didn't interrupt. "I tried to ignore it. But the minute you put your hands on me, it was over. So actually," he looked down at her, letting go of her hand to guide her eyes to meet his. "This is all _your_ fault."

He laughed when she threw her hands over her face to hide her growing blush. She swatted his hand away when he tugged at her wrist. "Y-you should h-have stopped m-me!"

He wrapped both of his arms around her and pulled her into his chest. "And what? Not have the chance to touch you? Or kiss you? Or be with you like this? I would have been a fool to stop you."

He grew worried when he felt her shoulders drop. "B-but…I can see how much you suffered…"

"Stop." He ran his hands through her hair, cursing himself once again for not being a better person. "I should have talked to you about what I was feeling once I was fairly sure you liked me. But I didn't. I didn't want to _talk_. However, I also didn't want to _listen_. I was so wrapped up in…you…that I didn't want anything else. And I didn't see how selfish and greedy I was until you snapped at me."

The silence that fell this time was uncomfortable. He hated airing his grievances. He hated talking about his feelings. He hated thinking he was just finding excuses for his actions. He slowly and painfully released her and dropped his arms to his sides.

"I'm sorry. I don't mean to justify-,"

He stopped when he felt a tug on his hand. He glanced over to her, her eyes filled with sadness, even with the small smile on her lips. "I know that you like to keep to yourself, and I find it difficult to communicate what I'm feeling. But…maybe we can work on it?" She lowered her eyes. "I-If you want, of course."

He took a deep breath before addressing her once more. "Then, there is something I want to confess to you."

"Oh?"

"Just…please don't hate me."

Her smile reached her eyes as the sadness disappeared. "I would never hate you, Ren."

He hesitated, but when he felt her fingers interweave with his, he gained enough strength to speak. "I started having dreams about you a while ago. Good ones, maybe a little _too_ good, if I'm being honest," he offered a small laugh to cover up his embarrassment. "But I didn't want you to think I was that type of guy who followed his hormones and not his heart. Hence why I ran away from you at times. You deserve better from me."

He paused to calm the churning in his stomach. "But then I started having these nightmares, where I was…back home…and instead of that drunk man…I-,"

"Ren, you are-,"

"Please," he stopped her. "I-I need say this."

She looked up at him and he felt a tug at his heart. "Why? You're not-,"

His words came out quickly. "I was that man, the man who was trying to get _you_ into that car and take you home against your will. And I'm pretty sure you're smart enough to understand how the rest of _that_ ends."

While he had been wanting to tell her about his horrifying nightmares, he also felt like hands were around his throat and he was suffocating in the silence. His own voice sounded unfamiliar to him. "I-It scared me. I wanted more of you, and at the same time, I was worried that I was going to hurt you."

Thankfully, she didn't remain quiet for long. "Ren, I've witnessed your kindness first-hand on several occasions. You always put others before yourself. You always hold your head high, even when you're suffering. You always think positive. You always act in the best interest of others. You would _never_ hurt me. I know this. Because someone who has the courage to do what you did that night would never let it happen to themselves."

"But-,"

Her finger on his lips silenced him. "Your nightmares are just that, Ren, nightmares. So please," she said quietly as she squeezed his hand. "Please stop thinking you're a monster."

"I am a monster."

She let out a frustrated sigh. "I don't understand why you think how you're feeling makes you a bad person."

He felt something inside of him snap. "How am I no different than that drunk bastard I pulled off that woman?"

She interrupted him before he got carried away. "You would never do that to anyone."

"Why? Because I'm not drunk? Then let's head on down to Shinjuku and find out!" She lowered her head, but he wouldn't stop now. "Let's see what happens to you when I'm drunk off my fucking ass and I pull you into a cab! I can guarantee you that your opinion of me would change then! Some nights, when I wake up from a terrifying nightmare, I think that I should rot in a goddamn jail cell with Kamoshida, or-,"

Her hand came hard and fast. He slowly lifted his hand to his face, but did not turn to face her. He could, however, feel her anger coursing through the air.

"Don't you _ever_ compare yourself to them." The strain in her voice caused tears to come to his eyes. But she was far from finished. "I will not sit here and listen to you berate yourself like this. You have done nothing wrong. How you acted may have surprised me, but honestly, it made me feel special! I was happy that I could make you feel the way you did. At least…" Her voice cracked. "At least…I thought you were happy."

His heart broke when she stood up and turned her back. She didn't want him to see her crying, but he could tell from his position that she was struggling to hold back her tears. His gaze fell to the spot where she was sitting on his bed, unable to stop his own tears from falling from his eyes.

He called out to her the second she stepped away. "Please-," he managed to choke out. "I-I…please don't walk away."

The only way he knew she heard him was because she stopped. He watched her wipe a hand over her eyes, but she did not turn to him. She broke through the silence moments later. "I wish I could make you understand."

He coughed to clear his throat. "Will you…will you come sit back down with me?"

He sounded pathetic, and a small part of him wanted her to walk away. She rubbed her face with her hands, took a few deep breaths, then returned to her spot beside him. He wasted no time burying his face in the crook of her neck. Her arms came around his waist and he cried into her. It made him feel terrible and weak, but as he felt her hands rubbing his back, he didn't care. He needed to get this off his chest.

"I know that events in your life have had a negative impact on you, but…suppressing your feelings isn't going to help. That's why I think we should at least talk about it."

He nodded his agreement into her neck. "This is all new to me, and I don't want to scare you, or hurt you."

"I know, Ren," she replied. "But, I-I think I…might surprise you."

He leaned back to look at her, her tears evaporating in the heat from her blush. He couldn't help but smile at her. "How's that?"

"W-well," she stuttered nervously, "I-I already told you that I-uh-didn't really want you to stop that day." She quickly shook her head. "B-but I'm glad you did. I-I mean, I, uh, really l-like you, and, um, m-maybe we should…just, take it slow?"

He lowered his head onto her shoulder, suppressing the urge to laugh at how damn cute she was. She was so damn cute that he felt so much more at ease. He truly did not deserve her, but if she was willing to go to these lengths after the hell he put her through, he would fight his insecurities. They would fight each other's together.

Since he was on the subject of his insecurities… "I wasn't there for you when you came to me about your sister." He could tell it was still a sensitive subject for Makoto the way her body tensed under him. "Even now, you're here to comfort me and listen to my problems when it should be the other way around."

Even though she was still tense, she shook her head. "Your safety is far more important to me."

He grit his teeth. "She's _your_ sister!"

"And I want to save her," she fired back. "This is the only way I know how to do it. I know I hesitated before, but I am confident that what we are doing is the best thing for her. So please, stop-,"

"Did you…" he paused, nervous to voice his question. "Did you ever find you father?"

He thought she would leave his question unanswered. He honestly thought she would pull out of his embrace. But she didn't. "No. But I stopped trying to look."

"Why?" he asked curiously.

She took a deep breath to steel herself, but he felt her tension dissipate. "Because you were right. It wasn't the best way to help my sister. Dad wouldn't have been able to help me, even if I did manage to find him. But you did. You made me realize what was best for Sis, even if it wasn't what I wanted to hear." She buried herself into his chest. "That's why I went to speak to you that night. I needed to hear you tell me how stupid I was."

His grip around her shoulders tightened. "I would never say that to you."

"Yes, but, sometimes I need to hear things I don't want to. Just like you do," she said as she reached for his hand, her fingers locking through his.

He let her words sink in. He smiled, his bottled-up hatred and loathing ebbing away. "Have I told you how amazing and adorable you are?" He kissed the top of her head and she chuckled under him. "Because you are. And I will tell you that every single day."

He figured she was too flustered to respond to him, but he was okay with that. He enjoyed the fact he could leave her speechless, but at the moment, he didn't want to hear words. He just wanted to feel her, to be _happy_ that he was able to be with her. Well, they weren't _officially_ together yet….

"So," he started quietly, "there was something I wanted to ask you a long time ago, but you kept avoiding me and I never got the chance."

She cringed, and he regretted his word choice. "Oh?"

He pulled away from her to rest a hand on her cheek. "Sorry, that's not how I wanted that to sound."

"No, it's okay," she replied, her eyes locking with his. "What did you want to ask me?"

His fingers brushed her jaw, and he leaned in to rest his head against hers. "Well, two things really." He smiled at her. "So I'll ask both at the same time." He paused, his chest tightening. "Would it be okay if I kissed you, my _girlfriend_?"

She didn't answer him as she closed the distance between them and kissed him first. It was simple and quick, but held so much more meaning because he knew it was only the beginning.

He pulled back and smiled his happiest smile ever. "I take it that's a yes?"

She leaned back into him so their noses were touching. "I won't give you an answer yet."

 _That_ wasn't what he wanted to hear. "What?"

"Promise me something, Ren." There was a hint of sadness in her voice and it broke his heart.

"Of course." He would promise her anything.

She buried her face into the crook of his neck, her arms wrapping around him and holding him tightly. "Promise me that you'll live."

He closed his eyes and released the breath he didn't even realize he was holding. He ran a hand up and down her back in an effort to calm whatever apprehension she was feeling. He didn't respond immediately. He wanted to, but just last night, he was okay with leaving his friends and his makeshift family because he hated himself so much. But he was realizing just how important his friends were to him, how important _she_ was to him. He wrapped his arms around her shoulders and held her as close as he could.

"I promise. I won't let him win."

He felt her smile. "Thank you."

"Besides," he began, a familiar smugness coming back into his tone, "If I died, I wouldn't be able to date my dream girl. And _that_ would haunt me in the afterlife."

When he heard her laugh, he felt any lingering concerns that he had been carrying for months fade away into nothing. He felt so light that he actually thought he would float away had she not been holding onto him.

She turned in his arms to face him. "And I would make sure of it."

While he may have been slightly intimidated with her threat, he couldn't resist the urge to lean down and kiss her again.

* * *

A few things to say:

While the game does not hint much at whether Makoto enters or is able to enter her sister's palace, I believe she does. She strikes me as the curious type, and she wants to help her big sis. So if she knew of its existence, which _is_ mentioned in the game, I think she would have at least tried once. The mentioning of her dad was just something I used to delay her bringing up the palace to the team.

I also feel some of you may have not expected Makoto to act the way she did in the last chapter, but I hope I covered the reasoning here. While I firmly believe talking is essential for a healthy relationship, friendship or romantic, I also believe it's not something you do well while trying to figure the other person out. While I think Makoto is intelligent and more willing to talk, I find Ren to be more of an action kind of guy. He doesn't like to talk about how _he's_ feeling. And who has ever had a crush or fallen in love with someone and right off the bat, walked up to them and said, "I really like/love you" without that backfiring spectacularly? Maybe it's just me, but their feelings are new and unfamiliar to them. I think it's perfectly normal.

However, while it has been fun for me to write the drama and maybe this little bit of angst, it's over. Which means I'm done. I'm not a big writer of happy fluffiness because life is not happy and fluffy unless I'm eating cotton candy. But you should know that there are only "Seven Sins" and I hope I at least covered them well. If not, it's too late.

I hope to have the last chapter out sometime over the weekend or early next week. I'm in the midst of working on another story before the creativity bubble bursts and I fade into nothing again. Thank you all for sticking with me and for accepting the ups and downs I took with this story. One more to go!

His last sin: Gluttony. Girlfriends aren't supposed to make their boyfriends fat.

Until then, the dragon rests.

龍の神様

Thanks for reading!


	7. Gluttony

**A/N:** Dear gods, I have completed a multi-chapter story! ToT

I may or may not have been one hundred percent satisfied with this, but it was a lot harder to write than I thought. However, I love writing Ren when he takes the Big Bang challenge. Because seriously, how is that kid still living?

Enjoy!

 **Note:** It has been brought to my attention that I have the return home date wrong. I guess instead of paying attention to game details, I looked up when Japanese kids actually go back to school, and went from there. Basically, Ren's not leaving until I make him! He shouldn't be leaving at all...

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Persona 5. If I did, my NG+ would have started with Makoto as Ren's girlfriend instead of her being mean to him.

* * *

 **His Sins**

 _Gluttony_

Ren had no idea how he had managed to score such an amazingly forgiving girlfriend.

Makoto made him promise he would live through the ordeal with Akechi. He did. Then she made him promise he wouldn't lose himself when confronting Shido. He didn't. So naturally when he promised her she would never be alone, he thought he could keep it.

He had a _lot_ of making up to do for that one.

And after two months in prison, he would promise her anything. He had told her as much when she had stopped by to spend the night with him on Valentine's Day. His first, her first, but hopefully not _their_ last. But when she brought up her concerns about his returning home, he felt more determined to prove to her that they would be fine.

She had left with her spirits a little higher, but not enough for his liking. He wasn't going home for a few more weeks, and he planned on spending every waking moment with her. He started wondering where he could take her on dates. He always wanted to ride a boat in Inokashira Park as he often heard couples did. He wanted to go to Odaiba and ride the Ferris Wheel, maybe because he had never been on a Ferris Wheel and he was leaving Tokyo soon, so the opportunity may never happen again.

First things first, he wanted to eat the chocolate she had made for him.

The small box sat on the edge of his desk and he continued to admire it. He could still feel the tingling sensation in his heart from the gesture. And how embarrassed she had looked when she handed him the box from across the booth. She was just too damn cute for him sometimes.

But then his mind went into a gray area; if he finished it all now, like he wanted to, because he was sure he wouldn't be able to stop, would that signal the end of their relationship? Would they be able to handle not being around each other every single day? It would only be while he was still in school, so he would be preoccupied, and she would be going to college on the path to her dreams, so…

He shook his head. All of that from some urge to eat _chocolate_? He laughed as he tried to unwrap the box, but between the ribbon and the wrapping, he found it surprisingly difficult. Maybe it was a sign he should wait? Maybe he could share it with her, while he put a piece to her lips and leaned in to taste both…

"Just because the Metaverse is gone doesn't mean you can slack off like this."

He jumped in his chair. He had been surrounded by walls and darkness for so long that he forgot what it was like to have Morgana around.

"Are you telling me you can't even open a _present_? As your mentor, I am ashamed!"

He smiled to himself as he pushed away from the desk. He turned to Morgana, his smile changing into a playful grin. "You _should_ be ashamed. An eager guy trying and failing to open his girlfriend's gift is embarrassing."

"I'm also really bitter that you never told me you were dating Makoto," he replied with a smug expression.

"And here I thought you were an expert on gathering intel," Ren jabbed back, causing Morgana to jump from the bed onto the desk by the present.

"I trained you well if you can keep a secret like that from me!"

He leaned back in his chair. "I wasn't trying to keep it a secret. So much just kind of, happened, and…"

"Well, I'm happy for you both!" Morgana exclaimed, noticing the somber look appearing in Ren's eyes. "Make sure to give me the heads up when she comes over. As much as I want you to be happy, I _don't_ want to be around to see you guys in bed together."

Ren's eyes widened, horrified that Morgana could say something like that with a straight face. He opened his mouth to say something in return, but the heat on his face killed any words he would have said.

Morgana laughed until cat tears poured from his eyes.

-0-

March 14th was just around the corner. White Day. Ren had been looking forward to it since Makoto walked out of Leblanc on Valentine's Day. He fought and fought for days on end for ideas for gifts to give her, but anything he thought of didn't seem to pass his final judgment. He thought about taking her out to dinner, give her a gift, then head home. Was that lame? Was that too much? Why the hell was dating so hard?

So when Sojiro asked him to help out around the café on that day, he had to find a good reason quick. "I can't. I, uh-,"

"Kid, why do you think so much?"

Ren was visibly shocked. "Um, I'm sorry?"

Sojiro huffed. "All you have to do is make her my recipe for curry and she'll be all over you."

Okay, so it looked like _everyone_ was expecting him to sleep with her. He would admit to one of those people, but…that could wait. "Is that going to be good enough?"

The look that crossed Sojiro's face was probably the scariest thing he ever saw in his life. And he had known Makoto and her sister for some time now.

"You doubt my abilities, kid?"

He was wise to answer quickly. "N-no, of course not! I…I just want to," he stuttered as he rubbed the back of his head. "I just want to do something different. Surprising. I made her dinner last time. And while I'm sure she would love it again, it's…kind of not what I had in mind."

Sojiro cocked an eyebrow at that. "You planning on proposing to her?"

Ren almost fell out of his seat. "W-what?! N-no!" The older man smirked at his reaction. "Dinner dates are just, I don't know, cliché and what _everyone_ does."

"White Day is just for a response. It isn't supposed to be that impressive."

"Well, I want it to be."

When it was quiet, Ren feared he may have spoken too harshly. Sure, he may have been defensive; it was going to be his first White Day after all. But Makoto had touched his life in a special way and he didn't want to have her expecting something grandiose and amazing only to disappoint her. She sure as hell didn't disappoint him on Valentine's Day.

"I understand," came Sojiro's response. "But sometimes, it's the little things that leave the biggest impression."

Ren fought to keep his jaw from hitting the bar. "Y-you really think so?"

Sojiro sighed deeply and reached for his carton of cigarettes. "You really do think too much."

-0-

He had no idea training could make him feel so _disgusting_.

But, Makoto seemed to be enjoying watching him fail miserably. "You did much better this time." Her giggling would have been adorable had he not felt so sick.

He planted his face on the table. "I don't know why I told you about this."

He had a little more than a month left before his return home, and the beginning of March meant that school was just around the corner. Makoto had asked him if there was anything he wanted to do or see in Tokyo before he left and before she had to focus on school. When he mentioned that he thought it would be cool to complete the Big Bang Burger Challenge, he expected her to brush it off.

And here he was, sitting across from her at a booth in the burger joint, training his stomach so he could earn that medal.

He may have secretly wanted to impress her, too.

He felt her hands stroke through his hair and it helped settle his stomach. He thought about lifting his face from the table, but her fingers brushing through his hair felt too satisfying to think about anything else. He may have zoned out for a few minutes.

"Oh, that's too bad," came an unfamiliar voice and Ren shot up from the table, an angry quip on his tongue. They had ruined his moment!

He was met with a dissatisfied employee who took a quick glance at his unfinished meal and frowned. "Better luck next time," was all she said as she turned and walked away.

Makoto turned back to him with a weak smile. "You don't have to keep going if you don't want to."

"Oh, I will on one condition," he replied with a smirk on his face.

"And what's that?"

He reached across the table and grabbed her hand, lowered his head to the table, and placed her hand back in his hair. "You keep doing that, and I will be able to do anything."

Her fingers began to move in his hair again, her nails occasionally raking across his scalp and sending shivers down his spine.

" _Anything?_ "

He may not have heard what she said, but he sure as hell heard _how_ she said it. Her fingers didn't cease in their teasing, which suddenly made him more uncomfortable. In a good way, just…not in a way he wanted to be in a restaurant.

He groaned when she pulled her hand from his hair. He heard her chair scrape along the floor, and soon she was cradling his face in both of her hands, wearing a dangerous smile that he was tempted to kiss right off her lips.

His heart stopped when she gently guided him back to lean against the cushion of the booth. She had been more impulsive and slightly harder to read after they started dating, but at the moment, the only thing he thought about was what kind of award he would receive if he pulled her onto his lap and-

"I'll get you another one, then."

She pulled away from him and turned around to head back to the counter. After his initial shock faded away, he released his breath and placed his head into his hands. If ingesting all of these burgers didn't cause him to fall over dead, she would.

He regained his composure to some extent when she came back, tray in hand, with another "comet" burger. "You can't stop now if you want that medal."

He looked from her eyes to his burger, then back to her. "What else will I get if I complete this challenge?"

She noticed the tone in his voice, but didn't bite. "You'll probably need to get your cholesterol checked."

He laughed at her, then leaned in as close as he could from where he sat. "What will _you_ give me if I complete this challenge?"

Her blush spread quickly over her face and he fell back into his seat, satisfied. She ran her hands over her skirt before she answered his question.

"Well, I'll make sure it's worth your time."

He almost choked on his food.

-0-

Ren woke up on the 14th in a panic. He wasn't ready. He was extremely sick from his poor decision making the day before. So sick in fact that Sojiro even noticed and mistook it for nerves.

"I promise you I won't let your curry be _that_ bad." He laughed again. "I will make it myself if I have to and you can pass it off as your own."

While he was thankful for the gesture, the mention of food brought his mind to his upset stomach. "Can we not talk about food right now?"

His voice must have sounded weak because Sojiro stopped laughing instantly. "You sick?"

Ren nodded lightly before he cradled his head in his hands.

"What did you get into yesterday?"

"I-," he paused to breathe. "I completed the Big Bang Burger Challenge last night."

Sojiro laughed again. "Well that's on you, kid. Why would you risk your 'big' day by doing something like that?"

He smirked behind his hands, his nausea slowly turning into something different. "For my reward."

Sojiro didn't appear to pick up on his insinuation, which was a good thing. He really didn't need _that_ talk when he was already feeling like shit. Instead, he slammed a glass of water on the counter space in front of him.

"Better start feeling better or she's not going to stick around long enough tonight to give you anything."

Okay, so maybe Sojiro was better at understanding people than he gave him credit for. Ren reached for the glass while Sojiro eyed him curiously from where he stood in front of him. He brought the water to his lips and took a drink to wash down the nerves building in his throat. Sojiro watched him like a hawk, and it made him extremely uncomfortable.

"W-what?"

"Oh, nothing," he said with a grin that Ren was all to familiar with. "I'll close up shop here soon so you can get the rest you need." He only turned back around after he had checked on the pot of curry. "I doubt you'll be getting too much of it tonight."

Sojiro laughed as Ren coughed on his water. Thankfully, his phone buzzed in his pocket. He needed a distraction at this point.

It was Makoto. _Did you want to try your luck at the challenge again?_

Forgetting Sojiro was in the room, his grin widened as he typed back, _Why? Eager to give me my reward?_

She didn't respond to that, but he could easily imagine her reaction. His fingers kept going. _I had something different in mind today, actually_. _Would you want to come over later tonight? I have something for you._

Sojiro came back into the picture. "Texting your girlfriend, huh?"

Ren looked up from his phone, but when it went off in his hand, he read Makoto's response.

 _And what would that be?_

He glanced at Sojiro, who grinned madly at him. He then turned his attention to his phone. _Let's just say that you won't be disappointed._

He put his phone on the bar in front of him, his sickness all but forgotten at this point. Sojiro spared him one last chuckle before he walked around the bar and to the door, sliding his fedora over his head.

"Well, I'll leave you to your cooking or whatever else it is you need to do to prepare." He turned around and pointed to the kitchen. "You can guarantee if any of the curry I prepared for tomorrow is gone, you're going to be training every hour until you leave, you hear?"

He grinned back. "Oh trust me. I know what I'm doing."

Sojiro tipped his hat to him. "Good luck, then," he said as he closed the door behind him. Whether his luck was supposed to improve Ren's cooking or his charm, he didn't want to think about it.

-0-

Ren was grateful for Sojiro's curry. Because he was definitely going to need it after all of his pitfalls. Did Sojiro ever slice his finger open cutting vegetables? Did he ever knock over a simmering curry pot when he cut said finger dicing vegetables?! Did he ever burn his other hand when simmering curry from said pot was splashed onto him?!

If he managed to live through the ordeal, maybe he could impress Makoto with his coffee instead.

He didn't know when his nervousness hit him, but when it did, it hit hard. He had never fumbled wielding a knife, in the Metaverse or in the kitchen. And yet here he was, a finger wrapped in a towel while the other hand was shoved under the faucet. He also never swore so much in his life than he did in that five minutes of chaos.

He also didn't know specifically when Makoto was to arrive. He placed a bet it would be within the hour, because being humiliated by his own ego wasn't enough entertainment for the gods. At least he had cleaned up his mess on the floor and stove before tending to his own wounds.

When the hour passed without a knock on the door, he felt a sense of relief. He would never hear the end of it from Sojiro if he scared Makoto into tending to his self-inflicted injuries rather than…other things.

It was truly amazing how he didn't slice his whole hand off thinking about her.

By the time there was a soft knock on the door, he was ready. Ready, as in his injuries were covered and he had time to clean any evidence she may have found to use against him. He wasn't really ready to bring her inside, though.

He hesitated long enough that her knocking grew louder and he chastised himself for leaving her waiting out on the doorstep. He shouldn't be so nervous, and he maybe thought Sojiro was right when he told him he was thinking too much.

"Sorry," he said when he opened the door. "I was in the kitchen and didn't hear you."

Makoto regarded him for a moment, then looked away. "I-it's okay."

Oh god, she sounded nervous, too. That could only lead to disaster. He led her into the café, where she glanced around the room before coming to face him.

"Sojiro closed up shop?"

He would have said something witty if he wasn't so damn nervous. "Yeah."

She noticed it. "That's all you have to say?"

He decided to change the subject all together. "Are you hungry?" She followed him to the end of the bar and pulled back one of the barstools for her to sit at. Then, he took Sojiro up on his offer. "I made some curry."

"That would be nice, thank you." Her smile was more bashful than happy, but since he was in the same boat, he decided not to read too much into it. He stepped into the kitchen and proceeded to _carefully_ create two picture-perfect plates of curry. Lady luck was in his favor for the moment, as he managed to successfully bring both plates to the counter without dropping either of them.

"I'll have to thank Sojiro for the food next time I see him."

His heart fell and his damaged pride took a critical hit. "What, you don't think _I_ can make curry this good?" He forced a grin. "I have been training for a while."

She put her spoon down and turned to face him. "Yes, but last time, you made it from scratch." She turned back to her plate. "You didn't do that this time."

He felt the disappointment in her tone crash into him like a bullet train. He opened his mouth to say something, but he stopped and dropped his head in defeat. "I…may have had some troubles, and ran out of time."

"Is that where the burn on your hand came from?"

He forgot how perceptive she could be. He sheepishly rubbed at the back of his neck. "Yeah. And the cut on my finger. And the blow to my pride."

He was rewarded with quiet laughter. "You didn't need to go through all of that just to impress me, Ren."

"Sure I did," he added to keep the humor alive. "I was just so excited to make you something in return for your-,"

His breath hitched when he felt her hand on his knee. It wasn't the first time she had done so, but like _this_ , alone in his quarters, with his thoughts running wild and everyone's suggestions screaming in his mind?

If she picked up on his nerves, she didn't acknowledge it. "You don't need to feel obligated to repay me. That's not what I want this relationship to be about."

He looked down at his untouched food, his heart heavy with regret. "I know. That's…not why I wanted you to be here." He placed his hand on top of hers before she had the chance to pull away. "I wanted you to be here because I wanted to see you. I mean…" He stumbled to find the right words. "Maybe I wanted to impress you because today is White Day and I didn't want you to be upset with any pitiful attempt I came up with to do just that." He squeezed her hand and looked into her eyes. "And you may have set the bar too high if my best effort to jump over it only gets my face smashed in by it."

She stared back at him, and he didn't know if the look on her face was one of awe or not. It wasn't until she dropped her eyes and a beautiful blush came to her face that he knew he was in the clear.

He turned in his chair and smiled. "Since no one has ever given me homemade chocolate or any gift really for Valentine's Day, I may need to brush up on my knowledge of White Day. I was told a little too late that a gift was supposed to be white and probably food related." She softly laughed at him as he reached for her other hand. "But I'm sure there will be more chances, right?"

She reached up to place a kiss on his lips. "I would like that."

Even though her kiss had been chaste and quick, he couldn't help but feel the temperature warm a few degrees. He grinned at her while his nerves danced around in his stomach.

"So, remember when I said I had something to show you?"

She watched as he stood up before her, her eyes showing the slightest hint of curiosity. "You said I wouldn't be disappointed."

He offered her his hand. "Let me show you, then."

She looked at his hand and for a second, he was worried she wasn't going to take it. She eventually placed her hand in his and he exhaled the apprehension from his lungs. She did, however, tug on his hand when she realized he was leading her up to his room.

"W-wait." He stopped immediately. It was suddenly ten degrees colder. The only thing that kept him warm was her hand wrapped in his. "W-we haven't u-um, f-finished eating."

If he ate now, he was going to throw it back up. She didn't need to know that. "But I've been waiting all day to show you."

She took one look at their practically untouched meal, then back at him. "O-okay."

His smile widened as he led her up the stairs and towards the bed. The desk. He led her towards the desk. Because the desk was where he left his surprise. He released her hand and she immediately came to a stop in the middle of his room.

He laughed. "You have to come here and look at it."

"I-I can see if from here."

He grabbed something off his desk, but shielded it with his hands. "You won't be able to see it from there."

Now it was getting warm. "T-then m-maybe you should…you should b-bring it over here."

Not wanting to turn her nervousness into discomfort and have her walk away, he stood up and walked up to her until he was only inches away. He was slightly upset when she took a step back.

He masked it well. "Remember how you said you would reward me if I completed the Big Bang Challenge?" He revealed the medal he held in his palm. He may have been slightly sick thinking about it, but he also felt proud. Proud because he was one of the very few people in Tokyo to complete it, and proud because of the gasp that came from Makoto's mouth.

"Y-you actually _finished_ it?"

With a hand now free, he wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her into him. "I did." He put his lips to her ear, eliciting another gasp from her. "Now, about that reward."

His hand slowly made its way up her back until he reached the crook of her neck. She lowered her head, as if she was studying the medal to make sure it was real. She then took it from his hands and carefully placed it around his neck. They separated for a moment, but the way she was admiring him caused his skin to burn.

She closed the distance and very un-Makoto-like, pulled him down for a rough and passionate kiss. It took the wind out of him, so much that he actually stumbled backwards. He cursed himself for it, because she broke the kiss so he could have room to steady himself.

And then she became embarrassed. "I-I'm s-s-o s-sorry!"

He wanted to groan and pound his head into the floorboards. "Don't be sorry, Makoto," he managed to say. "That was- _amazing_. I just…maybe…didn't expect it, is all."

Her gaze never left the floor. He sighed, then approached her again. He placed a hand under her chin to look into her eyes. "That was a surprising reward," he smirked when her cheeks grew red. "Please don't make me do the challenge again just so I can have you can kiss me like that."

She still didn't look into his eyes. "A-are..i-is th-that all y-you wanted?"

He couldn't help but be curious by that. "What do you mean?"

"Never mind."

He was about to question her but she fell into him, her head coming to rest right over his heart. He felt something thicken in the air and it made it a little difficult to breathe. Did…did she really want something _more_ , or was she only saying that because she expected _him_ to start something…or…

He didn't want to assume anything. "Will you tell me what you meant?"

She didn't say a word.

He held her away from him, her eyes looking anywhere but at him. "Hey, you can tell me. I don't want you to feel like you can't be open with me."

"Will you be open with me, then?"

Not quite how he wanted her to respond, but, "Of course."

She was quiet, and he was worried she wasn't going to say anything. "Why haven't you opened my present?"

He felt his heart sink into his stomach. He opened his mouth quickly to say something. "I-I want to, but…it's my first Valentine's Day gift and I really just wanted to look at it and remember how I felt when you gave it to me."

Finally, her eyes met his. "I-I made it for you with the intention of you eating it."

"Compromise then," he said as he turned to grab the still wrapped box from his desk. "And I'll admit another reason why I haven't opened it."

She still didn't look happy. "Ren, you can tell me that you didn't-,"

"I wanted to see if they taste as sweet and amazing as its creator. Together."

That got a reaction out of her. "H-huh?"

He dropped to the bed behind him to quickly open up the box. He tried to work as fast as he could before something happened and the mood changed again. He gave up on trying to be gentle and started ripping at corners until he finally was able to reach the candy inside. He broke off a small piece before he stood up, walked right up to her, and placed the chocolate at the edge of her lips.

His lips followed shortly after. He was careful not to be too brash, but at the same time, he wanted to return the passion from when she had kissed him moments ago. He steadied her with one arm around her waist. His other hand dropped from her mouth to rest on the curve of her neck. It was easy enough to slip his tongue past her lips, and he wondered what his taste buds enjoyed more: her or her chocolate.

Both. He very much enjoyed both.

He was so engrossed with the sensation of her that he didn't even register her pushing him back until his legs hit his bed and he toppled over. While he was thankful for the time to catch his breath, he was not so thankful that they had stopped. His breath left him again when he looked up at her, face flushed and the most beautiful smile on her lips. She stopped him when his hand made a move for the box of chocolate, and he felt something blossom in his chest.

"You're going to make me so fat," he said, lifting his outstretched hand to brush her loose hair behind her ear.

"You'll work it off," and she silenced any remark with a kiss.

* * *

Why did they skip over White Day? Like damn Ren, way to be a jerk.

Anyway, now that this is finally done, I can start working on another story so I don't have to adult yet. However, my PSVita memory card comes in the mail tomorrow, and someone is about to start playing Persona 3, so...

The biggest shoutouts to **leawright** , **IarIz** , **RoastedButter** , **rebfan90** , **jminator** , and **DiegoARL38** for your reviews! And a very nice thank you to **Speaking-the-truth16** , because that was the longest review I've ever read, and it provided me with many minutes of entertainment and laughter. If only writing fanfiction was my greatest sin...

Thank you to all of you for reading and keeping my mind off of my adult life. I wish you all the best in whatever you do!

The dragon rests.

龍の神様


End file.
